Dozens of people attend the funeral of some of the victims of downpours caused by Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, southern Malawi, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — After four days of devastating rains and winds, local communities and relief teams are grappling with the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy, which killed more than 250 people and displaced tens of thousands. in Malawi and Mozambique, and could cause even more damage.

The cyclone dissipated inland on Wednesday evening, but weather monitoring centers warned that affected countries remain vulnerable to flooding and landslides.

At least 225 people have lost their lives in southern Malawi, including in the country’s financial capital, Blantyre, authorities say. Some 88,000 people still cannot return to their homes and parts of the region are still inaccessible. Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has declared 14 days of national mourning.

In Mozambique, the authorities have reported at least 53 dead since Saturday evening and 50,000 displaced.

According to scientists, climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions from most industrialized countries into the atmosphere has aggravated cyclone activity, which is now more intense and more frequent. The recent La Niña phenomenon, which affects the global climate, has also increased the activity of these phenomena in the region in recent years.

Cyclone Freddy has been wreaking havoc in southern Africa since late February. Last month it hit Mozambique and the islands of Madagascar and Reunion as it crossed the Indian Ocean.

Freddy’s formed near Australia in early February. The United Nations weather agency has assembled a panel of experts to determine whether the meteor broke the longest-lasting record in history, set by Hurricane John, which lasted 31 days in 1994.

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