Africa's worst cyclones since 2000

Dar es Salaam. If Hidaya strikes, Tanzania would not be the first country in the West Indian Ocean region of Africa to face the horrifying moments of a hurricane, nor would it be the last.

A survey conducted by The Citizen has come up with some of the deadliest hurricanes recorded in the region since 2000.

ELINE AND GLORIA (2000)

These are back-to-back cyclones that pummelled Madagascar in 2000, resulting in about 130 deaths.

GAFILO (2004)

Madagascar yet endured the wrath of Cyclone Gafilo in 2004, with reports saying approximately 170 people were killed and displaced over 200,000 individuals.

The actual death toll remains uncertain, as several others are potentially going unaccounted for.

SOMALIA (2013)

A tropical cyclone struck Somalia's Puntland region in 2013, claiming an estimated 160 lives and causing widespread destruction.

Yet, the full impact of the disaster remains elusive, overshadowed by gaps in reporting and data collection.

DINEO (2017)

In 2017, Tropical Storm Dineo brought havoc to Mozambique, causing extensive flooding in Zimbabwe.

Official figures suggest that around 250 individuals lost their lives, but the actual death toll may be obscured by unreported fatalities and the challenges of data collection in affected regions.

IDAI AND KENNETH (2019)

March 2019 witnessed the devastating landfall of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. Millions of people in Malawi and Zimbabwe were reported to have been affected by Ida.

Six weeks later, Cyclone Kenneth made a landfall in northern Mozambique, the first time in recorded history that two strong tropical cyclones have hit the country in a single season.

An official estimate suggests that over 600 people were killed and around 1,641 were injured.

However, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says in its report that a total of 223,947 houses were destroyed.

FREDDY (2023)

Cyclone Freddy made it one of the deadliest storms to hit the continent in the last two decades.

Striking Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, and South Africa in March, Cyclone Freddy claimed more than 500 lives, making it the deadliest storm in recent years.

Yet, this number likely represents only a fraction of the total losses suffered by affected communities.

Regarding Cyclone Hidaya, the Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) stated on Saturday, May 4, 2024, that by 9pm on Friday, May 3, 2024, it had reached approximately 125 kilometres from the Kilwa coast in the Lindi Region.

Cyclone Hidaya was also 93 kilometres from the Mafia coast and 128 kilometres from the Dar es Salaam coast, with an atmospheric pressure of 985 hPa and wind speeds of 120 kilometres per hour.

Episodes of heavy rain continued to be observed in Mtwara and Lindi. By 9pm yesterday, the Mtwara station reported a total of 75.5 millimetres of rain within 12 hours.

“This amount of rain in 12 hours is very significant considering that the average rainfall for May at the Mtwara station is only 54 millimetres,” reads part of the statement.

“Thus, the amount of rain that fell within 12 hours at the Mtwara station is about 140 percent of the average rainfall for May,” reads another part.