Zim on alert for Cyclone Idai

Meteorological Services Department

ZIMBABWE is on alert for Tropical Cyclone Idai that is expected to hit the Eastern Highlands tomorrow and cause flooding.

The United Nations reported that by Monday evening, Cyclone Idai, which is moving from Mozambique to Zimbabwe, had killed at least 10 people after heavy rains deluged two flood-prone provinces of the neighbouring country.

About 62 975 people were affected by the floods in Mozambique.

In a statement yesterday, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) said the cyclone was being monitored under Green Watch status as it could cause flooding.

“A tropical cyclone named Idai is currently in the Northern sector of the Mozambique Channel today. In this quasi-stationary position, it is drying out the bulk of Zimbabwe while at the same time inducing a steady could breeze over the eastern and southern parts of the country (Manicaland, parts of Masvingo province and Mashonaland East),” read the statement. 

“Presently it is moving south westwards at a speed of 5km per hour. If this present speed and trajectory is maintained, it is expected to start moistening the country’s atmosphere beginning with the Eastern Highlands on Thursday 14 March. 

“However, due to the nature of such systems, this path and speed can change drastically. The Meteorological Services Department will continue to monitor the intensity and trajectory of tropical Cyclone Idai and advise the public accordingly”. 

In a telephone interview from Harare yesterday, MSD Forecaster on Duty, Mr Batisayi Haanyadzisi, said members of the public should remain calm and keep on checking for messages and updates from the Meteorological Services Department on mainstream                                                                       media.

“We urge members of the public not to panic and to rely on our official communication and ignore unverified reports especially on social media platforms. We will be relaying correct and timely information to the public as new developments come in,” said Mr Haanyadzisi. 

By the end of Monday, Cyclone Idai’s intensity was equal to that of a Category 3 Hurricane.

The Hurricane wind scale is one to five based on the hurricane’s sustained wind speed. 

Hurricanes reaching category three and higher are considered major hurricanes because of their potential for loss of life and damage. 

In 2016, Cyclone Dineo left at least 117 people dead in Zimbabwe and 106 others injured. More than 1 930 houses and huts were damaged countrywide, leaving 635 families homeless.

 The incessant rains also damaged 71 schools and five health institutions, while 71 dams had their walls breached and several roads and bridges were washed away. 

Livestock like cattle, goats, donkeys and chickens, and crops were also washed away.

Flooding in Gwayi affected the Sipepa area in Tsholotsho District, with nearly 1 000 people, including children and the elderly, being displaced.

Tsholotsho was the most severely affected district in the country.

 During the Cyclone Eline-induced floods in 2000, 136 deaths were reported in Zimbabwe. In addition to this, 59 184 houses and huts were destroyed, 14 999 toilets caved in, 538 schools and 54 clinics were damaged, 230 dams burst while a total of 20 000 head of livestock were lost.

The tropical cyclone, which first appeared on February 9 and lasted until about March 2, 2000, was termed the “worst in living memory”.

– @andile_tshuma