Cyclone Freddy Slams into Southern Africa Again, Killing Hundreds

A devastating tropical storm has struck southern Africa for a rare second time. The storm has killed at least 270 people since this weekend. Mozambique and Malawi were the two nations that were hit the hardest. Cyclone Freddy is now one of the deadliest storms to hit Africa over the last 20 years. It could be the longest-lasting cyclone on record.

Cyclones are rapidly rotating storm systems. They have a low-pressure center.

Heavy rains created mudslides. Power to tens of thousands of people was knocked out. The weather stopped aid workers from reaching people who needed help. The storm finally eased Wednesday evening. To make matters worse, though, both countries were already fighting a cholera outbreak when Freddy hit.

Freddy formed off the coast of Australia. It then crossed the entire Indian Ocean before first hitting Madagascar. The storm has now lasted 37 days. Freddy followed a rare loop path. It came back and hit southern Africa again.

Officials expect death tolls to rise.

In November, nations agreed to pay less wealthy countries affected by extreme weather disasters worsened by human-caused climate change. Cyclones have become stronger as the planet warms, scientists report.

“Mozambique and Malawi are among the countries least responsible for climate change,” an aid worker told The Associated Press. “Yet they are facing the full force of storms that are (getting stronger) due to … emissions from the world’s richest nations.”