With free buses and WhatsApp, southern Africa steps up storm preparedness

The use of digital media by the authorities to send hourly updates and maps showing where people could wait out the storm was effective, largely thanks to widespread use of WhatsApp. — Pixabay

CHIMANIMANI, Zimbabwe: When tropical storm Chalane threatened Zimbabwe and Mozambique late last year, government authorities and aid agencies sprang into action, having learned lessons from the destruction and loss of life caused by cyclones in 2019.

That year, two consecutive cyclones – Idai in March and Kenneth in April – brought unusually heavy rains and high winds, causing more than 1,000 deaths across southern Africa and affecting nearly four million people.