Mozambique has ordered the evacuation of residents in low-lying areas of Inhambane, Gaza and Sofala provinces amid fears of a possible second wave of flooding.
National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) president Luísa Meque urged communities to remain vigilant and move to safer ground.
She said authorities have already identified sites to accommodate evacuees if shelter centres need to be opened.
Technical teams are on the ground in the affected provinces to monitor conditions and reinforce preventive measures.
The call comes as Mozambique continues to grapple with one of its deadliest rainy seasons in recent years.
Since October, floods and storms have killed about 280 people and affected nearly 900,000, according to INGD figures.
More than 15,000 houses have been destroyed while hundreds of schools, health units and places of worship have been damaged.
Floods claimed at least 43 lives in January while Cyclone Gezani, which struck Inhambane in mid-February, caused four more deaths and displaced thousands.
The disaster has also devastated agriculture, with over 267,000 hectares of farmland lost and more than half a million livestock killed.
Mozambique’s rainy season typically lasts until April, raising fears that further storms could worsen the humanitarian crisis.
JN/APA