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Mozambique's Beira Residents Carry Mental Weight of Storms

Six years after Cyclone Idai devastated Beira, the city still bears deep physical and psychological scars. The 2019 storm killed over 500 people in Mozambique and left countless survivors grappling with trauma. In the past decade alone, 10 cyclones have collectively killed over a thousand people in Mozambique.

Studies have linked extreme weather events to lasting mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet data on Mozambique's mental health burden remains scarce, especially outside urban centers. In February 2026, a new storm developed in the Indian Ocean, putting a city in a permanent state of anticipation, writes Sean Christie for Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism.

InFocus

Tim Wege/Bhekisisa

Six years after Cyclone Idai ripped through Beira, the city's wounds are still raw. As a new storm gathered in the Indian Ocean in February, journalist Sean Christie found a city caught in a permanent state of waiting for the next disaster to hit.

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