March21,2019

The latest cyclone Idai devastated the southern African areas, including Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Filipe Nyusi, president of Mozambican, announced that around 200 people had been confirmed dead and almost 350,000 people were at risk. The neighboring country Zimbabwe might have even higher death toll.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman of the United Nations, had already asked the international community to help victims of cyclone Idai. Haq told the reporters that this was one of the worst natural disasters that had devastated southern Africa. Haq also predicted that the budget to re-construct these communities in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi was huge. 

Survivors in Mozambique felt that they have been forgotten in this world. They told reporters that they needed food, and they needed shelter to stay in. Survivors only saw the damaged home and the pools of water everywhere, some people attempting to fix the roof to have a temporary home to stay safe. 

Rescuers were making efforts to help more victims and to save more survivors in this natural disaster. A helicopter landed at the airport of Beira, a port city of Mozambique. One of the rescuers stated that the flood washed away many villages; besides, women and children were held on trees. The only thing they could do was to do their best to save them. However, the heavy and persistent rainfall hindered the rescue action. 

Pope Francis prayed for the victims, expressed his pain, and sent out his support to those victims in the hope that they could survive after this calamity.