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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   March 20, 2023 - Flooding in Mozambique   
      
      Mozambique   
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      In February and March 2023, Tropical Cyclone Freddy made two separate   
      landfalls over Mozambique, bringing strong winds and intense rainfall   
      to both that country and to Malawi, which sits inland west of   
      Mozambique. Freddy’s destructive winds and extreme rains have left   
      behind flooding, extensive damage, and a complex and widespread   
      disaster.   
      
      The cyclone’s first landfall was on February 24, when Freddy came   
      ashore roughly 120 miles (193 m) south of Beira, a large and port city   
      sitting where the Pungwe River pours into the Mozambique Channel. After   
      looping back out over the Channel, Freddy made a second landfall on   
      March 11, this time about the same distance north of Beira.   
      
      The first landfall resulted in significant infrastructure damage in   
      Mozambique, as more than 22,000 houses were affected, almost 14,000   
      were destroyed, 60 health units were flooded, and 1,265 km of roads   
      were damaged. About 92,000 hectares of crops were affected, including   
      in areas where 400,000 people are already food insecure.   
      
      At the second landfall, wind speeds measuring at 93 mph (150 km/h) with   
      gusts up to 132 mph (213 km/h), brought destruction to hospitals,   
      schools, the water supply system, and power systems. Rainfall topped   
      more than 600 mm (23.6 inches) in some places in Mozambique which is   
      four times greater than average monthly precipitation during the rainy   
      season. As late as March 15, rainfall greater than 100 mm (3.9 inches)   
      per 24 hours continued to fall.   
      
      Extreme rainfall, along with infrastructure damage, has created   
      widespread flooding and a complex humanitarian disaster in both   
      Mozambique and Malawi. The poor conditions have worsened a cholera   
      outbreak. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination   
      of Human Affairs (OCHA), as of March 15, 8,877 cumulative cases of   
      cholera have been reported in Mozambique with 54 deaths. This is an   
      increase of 901 cases in a week.   
      
      The second landfall damaged or destroyed about 48,134 buildings, while   
      191,562 hectares of cropland were damaged and an additional 38,000   
      hectares have been lost. The damage to cropland comes at a time when   
      many crops were nearly ready to harvest, and will most likely lead to   
      significant food shortages. Flood waters continue to rise in some   
      localities, especially in low-lying areas near major rivers. By some   
      estimates, it may take months for the flooding to subside.   
      
      In Malawi, at least 438 deaths were reported as of March 17, with 918   
      people injured and 282 missing. Nearly 345,200 people are displaced and   
      sheltering in over 500 camps across flood affected areas, where the   
      risk of cholera is high. The extent of flooding appeared to increase   
      between 14 and 17 March 2023, according to satellite imagery, even   
      though Freddy had become a remnant low over Malawi by March 14.   
      
      On March 17, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of   
      flooding near Mozambique’s Pungwe River after Tropical Cyclone Freddy’s   
      pair of landfalls. The city of Beira can be seen as a tan smudge on the   
      northern shore of the Pungwe where it flows into the Mozambique   
      Channel. This type of false-color image uses infrared and visible light   
      (MODIS bands 7,2,1) to help visualize water (deep blue) from vegetated   
      land (bright green). Open land looks tan and cloud appears white or may   
      be tinted with electric blue.   
      
      Immediately below the March 17 image is a second Terra MODIS   
      false-color image of the same area acquired on February 21, before   
      landfall of Tropical Cyclone Freddy. The difference between this   
      non-flooded view and the post-Freddy inundation is remarkable,   
      especially considering that this area was about halfway between the two   
      landfalls and not directly struck by the tropical cyclone.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 3/17/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (146.4 KB),  500m (333 KB),  250m (212.1 KB)   
      Bands Used: 7,2,1   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-03-20   
       
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