Red Cross braces for Cyclone Kenneth in Comoros, Mozambique and Tanzania

The logo of the International Federation of Red Cross is seen on boxes at the warehouse. Volunteers were on high alert and preparing communities in three countries on Africa's east coast for Cyclone Kenneth which was expected to make landfall on Friday. File photo: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino.

The logo of the International Federation of Red Cross is seen on boxes at the warehouse. Volunteers were on high alert and preparing communities in three countries on Africa's east coast for Cyclone Kenneth which was expected to make landfall on Friday. File photo: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino.

Published Apr 24, 2019

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CAPE TOWN - Volunteers from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) were on high alert and preparing communities in three countries on Africa's east coast for Cyclone Kenneth which was expected to make landfall on Friday, the global humanitarian aid organisation said on Wednesday.

By Wednesday afternoon, the tropical storm, which was expected to be classified as a cyclone by Wednesday nights was moving towards the Comoros.

In a statement, the federation said volunteers were alerting communities in areas where the possibility of flooding, erosion and landslides were high in Northern Mozambique, while aid supplies were being prepared in anticipation of the storm which the South African National Weather Service said would affect northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania.

“We are concerned about the impact that this storm could have across the three countries. We are especially concerned about its possible impact in Mozambique where communities are still recovering from the devastation of Cyclone Idai," the IFRC regional director for Africa, Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, said.

“We are supporting local Red Cross and Red Crescent teams on the ground across Comoros, Tanzania and Mozambique, ensuring they are ready if and when Cyclone Kenneth strikes.”

Mozambique is still recovering from the devastating Cyclone Idai, which also ravaged parts of Zimbabwe and Malawi, and left more than 1,000 people dead.

African News Agency (ANA)

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