Cyclone Idai and Mozambique: BBC

Mozambique ranks among the world’s poorest nations and recovery from Cyclone Idai will be a challenge. Also hit hard: Zimbabwe and Mali. The storm made landfall in Beira on March 14 and aid teams arrived to find the fourth largest city, population 500,000, mostly destroyed with no power or telecommunications. People escaped by climbing to roofs and trees, and severely damaged roads and infrastructure hampered aid delivery. The initial death toll is in the hundreds and expected to climb into the thousands. Meteorologists predicted the cyclone and its ferocity days in advance, but the poor lack the resources for rapid evacuation. As climate scientists predict increased intensity of storms, flooding and other weather-related events, some industries quietly respond while many governments are slow to prepare. The UN has suggested the storm may be the worst weather-related disaster to hit the southern hemisphere, report BBC News and Reuters. Survivors confirm the sentiment of never having seen anything like this storm. – YaleGlobal