The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNOG , WMO
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Tropical Storm Freddy Threats Mozambique - WMO 24 February 2023
Exceptional rainfall expected in Mozambique as tropical storm Freddy roars in, warns WMO
Flooding could impact 1.75 million people in the southeastern African country
Tropical cyclone Freddy, which has been sweeping across the Indian Ocean for several days, killed seven people in Madagascar. It is now projected to make landfall in Mozambique this Friday, 24 February, as a severe tropical storm, warned the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
“Tropical Cyclone Freddy has hit Madagascar with strong winds and high seas and it's now literally threatening Mozambique with - not so much winds here - but its very dangerous and exceptional rainfall levels,” explained Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson at the press briefing in Geneva.
There is a potential risk that months’ worth of rainfall may fall in the space of a few days, according to estimates from the WMO’s Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in the neighboring French island of La Réunion. “Météo France issued a warning of intense rainfall south of Beira, which is close to landfall, exceeding 200 to 300 millimeters and locally 400 millimeters in 72 hours. That is immense,” alerted Ms. Nullis.
Some 400,000 people are living in the areas of Freddy's projected trajectory, but the flooding could affect up to 1.75 million people, according to the Mozambique's National Institute for Disaster Management. Humanitarians are particularly concerned because the rainy season that started in October last year has left the soils in Mozambique saturated. “The river basin levels are already past alert level because there have been very heavy seasonal rainfalls so far,” said Ms. Nullis. “We shouldn't underestimate the threat of this additional rain.”
Tropical storm Freddy will continue to generate massive rain and flooding in the southeastern part of Africa, threatening to further worsen the cholera crisis, the UN World health Organization (WHO) has warned. Mozambique is already struggling to contain an outbreak that has affected more than 5,200 people since September 2022. All six provinces currently affected by cholera are flood-prone areas reported WHO's Cholera team lead, Dr Philippe Barboza. Over the past two weeks, cholera cases increased sharply by 17 per cent in the country.
Ends
STORY: Tropical Storm Freddy Mozambique Threat
TRT: 01’47”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
RELEASE DATE: 24 February 2023
HYBRID PRESS BRIEFING
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Exterior wide shot: UN flag alley UN Geneva.
- Cutaway: Medium lateral shot, podium with speakers at press conference room, UN Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, Spokesperson, World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “Tropical Cyclone Freddy has hit Madagascar with strong winds and high seas and literally, as I'm speaking, it’s now threatening Mozambique with - it’s not so much the winds here - but its very, very dangerous and exceptional rainfall levels.”
- Cutaway: medium shot
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, Spokesperson, World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “Météo France issued a warning of intense rainfall south of Beira, which is close to landfall, exceeding 200 to 300 millimeters and locally 400 millimeters in 72 hours. That is immense.”
- Cutaway: close shot of journalist typing
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, Spokesperson, World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “The soils in Mozambique are already saturated. The river basin levels are already past alert level because there have been very, very heavy seasonal rainfalls so far. So, we shouldn't underestimate the threat of this additional rain.”
- Cutaway: medium shot of camera and press room
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, Spokesperson, World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “The Mozambique's National Disaster Management Authority said that the flooding could affect up to 1.75 million people, and our colleagues at OCHA warns that the confluence of multiple threats is compounding a severe humanitarian situation in Mozambique.”
- Various cutaways shot of journalists and speakers in the press conference room
Similar Stories
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNMAS
Desperate and dangerous conditions in Gaza continue to hamper recovery efforts for the wartorn enclave's people, the UN health agency said on Friday, while demining experts warned that they’ve “barely scratched the surface” in assessing the level of contamination of unexploded ordnance.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News
The continued support of UN Member States to Lebanon will be “indispensable” to boost the country’s national armed forces and provide humanitarian assistance with more than one million people still uprooted by the Middle East war, the UN's peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNECE
Middle East war: After oil and gas shortages, concerns grow over critical minerals crunch
The shipping crisis in the Strait of Hormuz caused by war in the Middle East has exposed a new threat: a looming shortage of strategic minerals needed to drive economies all over the world and a race by countries to obtain them.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
Millions of desperate Sudanese return home amid dire conditions as war rages – IOM
Three years into the devastating conflict in Sudan, nearly four million displaced people have returned to their places of origin across the country, only to face “another struggle for survival”, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNESCO
UNESCO protects cultural sites in war-torn Middle East, confirming damage to key heritage.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
The war in Gaza has inflicted a far higher toll on women and girls than in previous conflicts in the Palestinian enclave, with more than 38,000 killed by Israeli air bombardment and land military operations since Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel sparked the war in October 2023, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making it the deadliest year on record in South and Southeast Asia, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.