Cyclone highlights the vulnerability of operations in Mozambique
MAPUTO and BOSTON (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Cyclone Kenneth dumped heavy rains on Mozambique, a day after becoming the second storm to hit the nation in two months.
The Category 4 hurricane made landfall between 4 and 5 p.m. local time on Thursday, when the eye passed between the districts of Macomia and Mocimboa da Praia, the National Institute of Meteorology said. The storm is heading west toward Malawi, where the authorities, along with neighboring Zimbabwe and Tanzania, have warned of possible flooding.
Key developments
- Cyclone Kenneth is the first hurricane-strength storm ever recorded in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, according to forecaster AccuWeather Inc.
- Anadarko Petroleum Corp., which is developing a multi-billion-dollar gas project off Mozambique’s coast, suspended air traffic into and out of the project site.
- Mozambique’s weather office forecast the storm may dump more than 4 in. of rain on the north of the country within 24 hr of its arrival.
Cyclones pose LNG supply-chain risk
Intense cyclones battering Mozambique highlight the exposure of Liquefied Natural Gas companies to supply chain disruptions in a country that’s poorly equipped to deal with natural disasters, UK-based research firm Verisk Maplecroft said in a note.
Mozambique ranks as the 11th highest risk globally on the Natural Hazards Vulnerability Index, which measures a nation’s capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from the impact of events such as powerful storms, it said.
