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☆ Thousands feared dead after cyclone slams into Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-16 | by ( Hannah Peart | Hannah Peart Is An Intern In The Nbc News London Bureau. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Several thousand people may have been killed, Mayotte prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville told told Mayotte La 1ere, a local broadcaster, on Sunday. All three are storm systems with winds exceeding 74 mph, but the name depends on where in the world the storm happens. Hurricanes happen in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific, typhoons occur in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, while cyclones take place in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S.’s National Ocean Service. Daniel Mouhamadi / AFP - Getty ImagesCyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean usually spans from mid-November to the end of April, according to Météo-France. In 2023, over 1000 people died across Malawi and Mozambique after Cyclone Freddy, the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded, barreled 5,000 miles across the Indian Ocean, where it pummeled Madagascar and Reunion before striking the African mainland.

Persons: Francois, Xavier Bieuville, Bruno Retailleau, Kwezi, Daniel Mouhamadi, Freddy Organizations: Mayotte La, Getty, Getty Images Cyclones, Hurricanes, South Pacific, Ocean Service, Authorities Locations: Mayotte, AFP, Météo, France, Africa, Mamoudzou, Ocean, Northeast Pacific, South, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar

☆ Cyclone Chido kills several in French territory of Mayotte before heading for Africa’s east coast
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-15 | by ( Story Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Moroni, Comoros AP —Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage on the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, leaving several people dead, officials said Saturday, as the storm roared toward the east coast of Africa. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said a “very provisional” tally shows there are at least “a few people” who have died. France’s poorest island, Mayotte has previously struggled with drought and underinvestment. French Transport Minister François Durovray said Mayotte airport was “badly damaged, particularly the control tower” by the cyclone in a message on X. In Zimbabwe, authorities said some people should prepare for evacuation.

Persons: Moroni, Bruno Retailleau, ”, “ We’re, ” Retailleau, ” Chido, François Bayrou, Emmanuel Macron, François, Xavier Bieuville, François Durovray, Bieuville, Chido, Cabo Delgado, Cyclone Freddy, Idai — Organizations: Comoros AP — Cyclone, French Interior Ministry, Transport, Mayotte la, Authorities, Schools, Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Cyclone Idai, Cyclone Locations: Comoros, Mayotte, Africa, French, Paris, Mozambique, France, Reunion, Local, Cabo, Malawi, Zimbabwe

☆ At least 11 dead from Cyclone Chido in French territory of Mayotte, but figure could rise to ‘several hundred,’ official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean that has suffered widespread destruction. A photo taken on December 15, 2024, shows torn-off roofs of residential buildings after Cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte. This photo provided December 15 by the French Army shows soldiers addressing the population in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. This photo provided December 15 by the French Army shows soldiers removing fallen trees in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities. Cyclone Freddy left more than 1,000 dead across several countries in the Indian Ocean and southern Africa last year.

Persons: François, Xavier Bieuville, Bieuville, Cyclone Chido, Chido, Emmanuel Macron, Bruno Retailleau, Retailleau, François Bayrou, Pope Francis, Patrice Latron, Latron, Chad Youyou, ”, Cabo, Guy Taylor, Cyclone Freddy Organizations: South Africa Associated Press, Sunday, ″, Mayotte la, French Interior Ministry, European Union, Cyclone, Getty, Interior, French Army, AP, AP Cyclone, Mozambique Chido, UNICEF, UNICEF Mozambique, Cyclone Idai Locations: CAPE, South Africa, Mayotte, Cyclone, France, ″ Mayotte, Africa, Kwezi, AFP, Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, Paris, Corsica, AP France, Reunion, Hamjago, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Cabo Delgado

The continent is rich in the commodities needed for the green energy transition and has abundant solar power, but many governments are also burdened with cripplingly high debts. "Eighty percent of the infrastructure Africa needs by 2050 has not yet been built," Gamboa said at the IMPACT conference. "They've come to a recognition that it is good development to leapfrog and go into the clean energy transition now." "We cannot and will not run away from doing fossil fuel-based investing because the development needs of the continent are so huge," the AFC's Gupta said. "The world still needs energy security, the world still needs energy source diversity.

Persons: John Muchucha, it's, Andrew Steer, Freddy, we've, Tom Mitchell, Sanjeev Gupta, Gupta, Cristina Gamboa, " Gamboa, ActionAid, Gloria Dickie, Jane Wardell, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Earth, Reuters IMPACT, International Institute for Environment, Development, London, African Finance Corporation, International Energy Agency, IMPACT, AFC, Thomson Locations: Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, London, Horn of Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Sharm el, Sheikh, Lagos, Global South, Paris

☆ Hundreds of millions pledged for African carbon credits at inaugural climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Companies Climate FollowVitol SA FollowNAIROBI, Sept 4 (Reuters) - An initiative to boost Africa's carbon credit production 19-fold by 2030 drew hundreds of millions of dollars of pledges on Monday as Kenyan President William Ruto opened the continent's first climate summit. In one of the most anticipated deals, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) committed to buying $450 million of carbon credits from the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI). "There hasn't been any success for an African country in attracting climate finance," said Bogolo Kenewendo, a United Nations climate adviser and former trade minister in Botswana. Many African campaigners have opposed the summit's approach to climate finance, and about 500 people marched in downtown Nairobi on Monday to protest. They say carbon credits are a pretext for continued pollution by wealthier countries and corporations, who should instead pay their "climate debt" through direct compensation and debt relief.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Bogolo Kenewendo, Bogolo, Kevin Kariuki, Patricia Scotland, Esa Alexander, we've, Hassan Ghazali, Britain, Sultan Al Jaber, COP28, Duncan Miriri, Simon Jessop, Jefferson Kahinju, Aaron Ross, Hereward Holland, Angus MacSwan, Susan Fenton Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Africa Carbon Markets, United, African Development Bank, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Climate Asset Management, HSBC Asset Management, Debt, Green, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, UAE, Nairobi, Africa, United Nations, Botswana, Muloza, Mozambique, Blantyre, Malawi, Liberia, Tanzania, Germany, Kenya

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ A sustainable planet is possible with the help of cloud tech. Here's how an Asian partnership is working toward the future.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Tata Communications | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Alibaba Cloud, in partnership with Tata Communications, is developing digital solutions for a sustainable future. Alibaba Cloud's partnership with Tata Communications is built on a mutual understanding of the critical importance of sustainability for everyone. The partnership between Alibaba Cloud and Tata Communications has helped build a robust and elastic cloud infrastructure. "Seamless and intelligent hyperconnected ecosystems are how we power cloud giants like Alibaba Cloud to do what they do best." Together, Alibaba Cloud and Tata Communications are creating a futuristic vision for how businesses and people can live, work, and communicate.

☆ Cyclone Freddy wreaks havoc in Malawi
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was meant to topple a dictator who had inflicted reckless wars and economic misery on his fellow Iraqis, and then to usher in a thriving democracy. Instead, Iraqis faced years of upheaval and chaos.

[1/5] Locals in the Chiradzulu district look at the damage on a road after mudslides and rockfalls in the area caused by the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, March 15, 2023. Most people heeded the warnings, knowing from bitter experience the damage such storms could inflict: 600 people had died in Cyclone Idai in 2019. The storm was far more deadly in neighbouring Malawi, where at least 447 were killed as Freddy tore through the country's southern tip and inundated the main commercial hub of Blantyre. Mozambique and Malawi are among the poorest 8% of countries in the world, according to United Nations data. In the case of Freddy, this extra energy allowed the storm to pick up strength again and circle back to strike again.

☆ Malawians search for relatives buried under the mud as death toll jumps
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While the storm had dissipated, rain continued to hamper rescue efforts as vehicles struggled on flooded roads. Lieutenant Colonel Dickens Kamisa, who participated in the search, said local authorities identified about eight areas where dead bodies should be buried and were using sniffer dogs to find trapped Malawians. Chifundo Chilimba, a local resident, told Reuters he could not find his family members as the depth of the mud was too deep. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it was providing food assistance by distributing partially pre-cooked food called corn-soya blend to displaced people. The storm had already killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before it lashed Mozambique a second time.

☆ Malawians fear storm Freddy could make deadliest cholera outbreak worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Eldson Chagara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I am fearful of cholera but there is no potable water and I have no option. Malawi seemed to be getting its deadliest cholera outbreak yet under control, with World Health Organization figures showing a decline in cases and deaths, but locals and health experts worry that trend could quickly reverse in Freddy's wake. [1/9] Hendry Keinga reacts after he lost a family member during the Mtauchira village mudslide in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, March 16, 2023. Malawi has conducted two oral cholera vaccination campaigns, but a global surge in cholera outbreaks has meant vaccines are in short supply. Another Ndirande resident, Francis Moyani, said he was determined to get the cholera vaccine as he was scared of contracting the disease.

[1/7] A drone image of Mtauchira village shows the destruction caused by a mudslide where many people lost their lives, in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, March 16, 2023. Tropical Cyclone Freddy has killed more than 400 people in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar since it first made landfall in Africa in late February and circled back to hit the region for a second time over the weekend. In Mozambique, some villages have been completely cut off since the cyclone made its second landfall on Saturday. At least 53 people have died in Mozambique and 326 in Malawi since the weekend, according to government figures. The storm had already killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before it lashed Mozambique a second time.

☆ Cyclone Freddy toll surpasses 300 as Mozambique counts bodies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MAPUTO, March 16 (Reuters) - The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Freddy has passed 300 people, with authorities in Mozambique taking several days to assess the extent of the damage and loss of life. The storm tore through southern Africa over the weekend for a second time after first making landfall in late February. It is one of the longest-lasting tropical cyclones ever recorded and one of the deadliest in Africa in recent years. At least 53 people have died in Mozambique's Zambezia province, authorities said late on Wednesday, more than doubling their previous count. The storm killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before lashing Mozambique a second time.

☆ Factbox: Cyclone Freddy among Africa's deadliest storms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 15 (Reuters) - Cyclone Freddy has killed more than 270 people in southern Africa since it first made landfall last month, making it one of the deadliest storms to hit the continent in the last two decades. Below are some of the deadliest storms recorded in Africa since 2000. CYCLONE FREDDY, 2023Cyclone Freddy has killed more than 270 people, mostly in Malawi but also in Mozambique and Madagascar. CYCLONE GALIFO, 2004Cyclone Galifo killed about 170 people when it struck Madagascar in 2004, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. SOMALIA CYCLONE, 2013A tropical cyclone that hit Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region in 2013 killed about 160 people, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

[1/3] Young boys carry plastic as they look for items to salvage from the Nasolo river in Ndirande township in Blantyre, Malawi March 15, 2023. REUTERS/Eldson ChagaraBLANTYRE/MAPUTO, March 15 (Reuters) - Malawi and Mozambique were racing to rescue survivors from Tropical Cyclone Freddy on Wednesday as the death toll rose above 270 from one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere. In neighbouring Mozambique at least 21 people had died as of Tuesday, according to the disaster agency. The overall death toll since Freddy first made landfall in February is now estimated at more than 270 in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. We've rescued thousands but thousands more are still unreachable," said disaster agency spokesperson Paulo Tomas by telephone from Quelimane.

☆ Factbox: Why is Cyclone Freddy a record-breaking storm?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Nellie Peyton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HIGHEST CYCLONE ENERGYFreddy holds the record for most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a measure based on a storm's wind strength over its lifetime, of any storm in the southern hemisphere and possibly worldwide. Freddy has generated about as much accumulated cyclone energy as an average full North Atlantic hurricane season, according to the World Meteorological Organization. By last week it was in second place for the most accumulated cyclone energy of any storm since 1980, with the record held by Hurricane and Typhoon Ioke in 2006. RECORD LENGTHFreddy may have broken the record for longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Freddy had seven separate cycles of rapid intensification, according to satellite estimates, said the World Meteorological Organization.

☆ Cyclone Freddy kills 190 in Malawi as rain complicates rescue efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Frank Phiri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Relatives of people who lost their lives in the aftermath of after Storm Freddy, search for their bodies at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital mortuary in Blantyre, Malawi March 14, 2023. Freddy has also left a trail of destruction in Mozambique, where it made landfall over the weekend. The latest death toll in Malawi is a jump from 99 reported on Monday, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs said. Freddy pummelled central Mozambique on Saturday, ripping roofs off buildings and causing widespread flooding around the port of Quelimane before moving inland towards Malawi. Freddy could sweep through Zambezia province again, bringing more wind and rain.

☆ Storm Freddy triggers floods in Malawi, killing at least 11
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Frank Phiri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Branches of trees sway as cyclone Freddy hits, in Quelimane, Zambezia, Mozambique, March 12, 2023, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. UNICEF Mozambique/2023/Alfredo Zuniga/Handout via REUTERSBLANTYRE, Malawi, March 13 (Reuters) - At least 11 people have died and 16 are missing around Malawi's second-largest city Blantyre after tropical storm Freddy brought torrential rains that triggered floods and landslides, police said on Monday. It pummelled Mozambique for the second time in a month as a cyclone over the weekend before weakening as it moved inland towards Malawi. "Some missing people are feared buried in rubble and our team is working with other cooperating national agencies," Kalaya said. Scientists say climate change is making tropical storms stronger, as oceans absorb much of the heat from greenhouse gas emissions and when warm seawater evaporates heat energy is transferred to the atmosphere.

[1/3] Branches of trees sway as cyclone Freddy hits, in Quelimane, Zambezia, Mozambique, March 12, 2023, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. It pummelled central Mozambique on Saturday, ripping roofs off buildings and bringing widespread flooding around the port of Quelimane, before moving inland towards Malawi with torrential rains that caused landslides. At least six people died in Mozambique's Quelimane, which was struck hard by the storm, authorities told the public broadcaster on Monday. The total number killed by storm Freddy in Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar since it first made landfall last month is now nearing 100. Malawi has been battling the deadliest cholera outbreak in its history, and U.N. agencies have warned the situation could now get worse.

☆ Record-strength cyclone Freddy pounds Mozambique after making second landfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 12 (Reuters) - Cyclone Freddy battered central Mozambique on Sunday after making landfall for a second time in a month and breaking records for duration and strength of tropical storms in the southern hemisphere. More than 171,000 people were affected after the cyclone swept through southern Mozambique last month, killing 27 people in Mozambique and Madagascar. More than half a million people are at risk of being affected Mozambique this time, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). At least one person was killed there on Saturday when his house collapsed on him as the storm swept onshore, state TV reported. Two weeks ago, 27 died when the storm first made landfall, after first being spotted near Indonesia on Feb. 6.

☆ Floods and high winds hit Mozambique as record-breaking cyclone Freddy nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MAPUTO, March 11 (Reuters) - Cyclone Freddy was settling off the coast of Mozambique on Saturday, bringing flooding and high winds to Quelimane two weeks after killing at least 27 people in southern Africa when it first made landfall last month. After swirling for 34 days straight, the weather system is likely to have broken the record for the longest-lasting tropical cyclone. The cyclone is slow-moving, which meteorological experts say means it will pick up more moisture off the sea, bringing heavy rainfall. More than 171,000 people were affected after the cyclone swept through southern Mozambique last month, bringing heavy rains and floods that damaged crops and destroyed houses, with OCHA putting its death toll at 27 so far -- 10 in Mozambique and 17 in Madagascar. More than half a million people are at risk in Mozambique this time, especially around in Zambezia, Tete, Sofala and Nampula and Zambezia provinces.

☆ Fact Check-Video of river breaching bank shows 2011 Japan tsunami, not Cyclone Freddy making landfall in East Africa in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

However, some social media users are claiming it shows Cyclone Freddy making landfall over Madagascar and Mozambique in 2023. One Facebook user uploaded a version of the clip (here), which has since been viewed more than 130,000 times, alongside the caption: “Tropical cyclone Freddy... Affected countries we are praying for you..”Another claimed the footage shows Cyclone Freddy in Madagascar (here), while one said it captured a dam wall breaking in Mozambique (here). The video is therefore unrelated to Cyclone Freddy, which struck Madagascar (here) and Mozambique (here) in late February 2023. The video shows Japan’s 2011 tsunami, not Cyclone Freddy in 2023.

☆ Madagascar suspends schools as cyclone Freddy approaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Lovasoa Rabary | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANTANANARIVO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Madagascar's government on Tuesday suspended schools and transport in the path of tropical cyclone Freddy, which was likely to make landfall in the southeast of the country by evening. The cyclone is expected to hit Mananjary district, about 270 km from the capital Antananarivo, with winds of nearly 155 km per hour, Madagascar's meteorological services said. All traffic in cyclone Freddy's projected path was suspended overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, the country's ministry of transport and meteorology said. Cyclone Freddy is expected to make landfall nearly a month after storm Cheneso battered the island nation of 29 million, killing 33 people and forcing thousands from their homes. "It is expected to cause locally devastating winds and a very dangerous sea state near the impact zone in Madagascar," UNOCHA said on Monday.

☆ Mauritius halts flights, shuts stock exchange as cyclone Freddy approaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PORT LOUIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Mauritius on Monday grounded flights and shut its stock exchange as Tropical Cyclone Freddy approached, posing a "direct threat" to the Indian Ocean island. A Class III cyclone warning was in force in Mauritius, allowing about six hours of daylight before the occurrence of wind gusts of 120 kilometres per hour. Mauritius, along with other Indian Ocean countries like Madagascar and African coastal nations like Mozambique, is regularly affected by severe storms and cyclones capable of destroying homes, infrastructure and crops. "As Freddy approaches Mauritius, (a) storm surge is likely to cause coastal inundation in risk areas. Reporting by Villen Anganan; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Alexander Winning and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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