Storm Freddy was confirmed to take over 100 lives in Malawi. It is the longest-living tropical cyclone and is still currently active to this day. It’s even the strongest cyclone on record posing a large threat to Mascarene Islands, Madagascar, and Mozambique. The cyclone passed through Malawi twice causing devastation for these communities; especially those whose homes have been destroyed. Political scientist Kim Yi Dionne states, “Even rich countries that are advanced democracies would have been no match for the level of destruction this cyclone has brought.” There’s a high risk of another cholera outbreak since it’s so wet and there is a lack of vaccines in the area. A survivor of Cyclone Freddy, John Witman, states, “I wish that we could find him, and find closure. We feel hopeless because no one is here to help us.” He said this regarding his son-in-law after they found his home destroyed and nowhere to be found. Freddy has affected approximately 400,000 people throughout its path and even looped back after picking up more power from passing through the Indian Ocean. The warmth of the ocean caused it to reform and come back even stronger, striking the same place twice. Climate change has changed these cyclones making them stronger and more troublesome. Greenhouse gasses being released are making cyclones more frequent such as Cyclone Freddy’s occurrence. Mr. Rivo Randrianarison, an agency official for the WMO, has stated that, “This loop trajectory is very rare.” The victims of Freddy have shown resilience, digging people out of the mud and trying their best to survive. Cyclone Freddy has displaced thousands but it’s finally starting to move away, being a relief for African regions. Although it’s beginning to move away, rain is still a big problem as it will cause flooding in other areas. Even as of now, it’s unclear if the cyclone will dissipate or continue moving away and hit another region.
By NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA - Dramatic Views of Hurricane Florence from the International Space Station From 9/12, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72682414