Photo: Lusa Mayor of Beira, Daviz Simango, this Saturday (23.01) called Cyclone Eloise “devastating” for the city on Mozambique’s central coast, and says some 200,000 people may be affected. Simango said that the storm had caused flooding well before it actually reached the municipality, with half a million inhabitants one of Mozambique’s largest cities. Even so, and despite the garbage accumulated in drainage ditches, “the runoff is working and the tide is low”, which will help to alleviate the most flooded areas. In March 2019, Beira was hit by Cyclone Idai, which caused 603 deaths in Mozambique and was one of the biggest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. In late 2020, the region was again affected, this time by the storm Chalane, which also brought heavy rains.