Tropical Cyclone Chido Forces Early School Closure

The Ministry of Education has announced that primary and secondary schools will be closed tomorrow (Monday) 16th December 2024 in areas that might be affected by Tropical Cyclone Chido.

According to a statement from the Ministry, the schools in the following districts will be closed: Mangochi, Machinga, Zomba, Mulanje, Phalombe, Neno, Mwanza, Dedza, Ntcheu, Balaka, Thyolo, Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Nsanje, and Chikwawa.

Tropical Cyclone Chido is a powerful storm currently affecting several countries in Southern Africa. It formed on December 7, 2024, southeast of Diego Garcia, and has been intensifying since then.

Chido made landfall in Agaléga, Mauritius, on December 11, bringing strong winds of up to 215 km/h (130 mph) and heavy rainfall. The storm then moved towards Mayotte, where it made its second landfall on December 14, causing widespread destruction and killing at least four people.

The Cyclone Chido made a landfall in Mozambique on December 15, with heavy rains and strong winds forecasted for the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula, the authorities activated their emergency response plan, and the National Institute for Disaster Management started prepositioning stocks and assets in vulnerable areas.

Affected countries include; Mauritius on Agaléga Agaléga which is severely affected, with strong winds and heavy rainfall and Mayotte where there is widespread destruction, four deaths reported, and eleven (11) fishermen missing.

In Mozambique the cyclone was expected to make a landfall on December 15, with heavy rains and strong winds forecasted for northern provinces so too in Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros and Zimbabwe were also expected to be affected.