Cyclone Kenneth has made landfall in northern Mozambique, this after it left a trail of destruction in the Comoros Island where three people have died.
Areas in and around Pemba are already feeling the effects of cyclone Kenneth with gusty winds and heavy rains.
The tropical cyclone remains a Category 4 with speeds of up to 300 km per hour.
Latest on Tropical Cyclone Kenneth (Category 4):
– Sustained winds of 215km/h
– Moving WSW at 15 km/h
– Expected to make landfall in vicinity of Quiterajo in north-eastern Mozambique this evening.#CycloneKenneth #Kenneth #Cyclone #Mozambique pic.twitter.com/EV5R0aMm0K— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) April 25, 2019
Mozambiques national carrier LAM has cancelled flights between Pemba and Maputo due to the cyclone.
Violent winds of up to 140km/h have lashed the East African island nation of Comoros, killing three people. This as Tropical Cyclone Kenneth is upgraded to a category 4 storm.
It is headed to flood-battered Mozambique and southern Tanzania. Cyclone Idai pounded Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi last month, killing more than 1000 people.
Authorities in the Mtwara and Lindi regions in the southern part of Tanzania have ordered schools and businesses to close on Thursday to ensure their residents’ safety.
This is after warning of the devastating effects that the cyclone is expected to bring. Steady rains have already started in the coastal areas while conditions are expected to get worse over the next 48 hrs.
Mtwara Regional Commissioner Gelasius Byakanwa has given an order to close schools and workplaces in preparation for tropical storm Kenneth.
Tanzania’s meteorological agency has confirmed that the tropical storm has left the Comoros Islands and it continues to get stronger as it heads towards the border between Tanzania and Mozambique.
It is expected to make landfall over the early hours of Friday morning as it enters the south of Tanzania in coastal areas like Lindi, Mtwara and Ruvuma.
The government has set up dedicated safe zones, in schools, the airport and other high elevated areas. Tanzanians have been scrambling to these areas as Cyclone Kenneth continues to get closer.
Cyclone Kenneth is expected to make landfall in Tanzania on Friday. -Reporting by Daniel Kijo
