Communities north of Broome have been urged to secure their boats, caravans and outdoor furniture and prepare for flooding as a severe tropical cyclone gathers off the coast of Western Australia. WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has asked communities in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions to prepare emergency plans, including a first…

BLANTYRE—The last thing Lukia Akimu remembers is the surge of floodwater that hit her village near Mount Soche earlier this week when Tropical Cyclone Freddy tore through southern Malawi. The next thing she knew, she woke up in the hospital, her head wrapped in bandages and her neck in a brace. “I saw a lot…

BLANTYRE/MAPUTO—Malawi and Mozambique were racing to rescue survivors from Tropical Cyclone Freddy on Wednesday as the death toll rose above 270 from one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere. Freddy tore through southern Africa for the second time in a month over the weekend and was still causing heavy rain on…

BLANTYRE, Malawi—The devastating Tropical Cyclone Freddy which has ripped through southern Africa in a rare second landfall has killed at least 219 people in Malawi and Mozambique since Saturday night, with the death toll expected to rise. Heavy rains that triggered floods and mudslides have killed 199 people in Malawi, authorities said Tuesday. President Lazarus…

JOHANNESBURG—Cyclone Freddy displaced hundreds of people as it battered central Mozambique on Sunday after making landfall for a second time in a month, breaking records for the duration and strength of tropical storms in the southern hemisphere. Communications and electricity supply in the storm area have been cut so the extent of the damage and…

SYDNEY—New Zealand will launch an international fundraising appeal for the massive reconstruction work needed after Cyclone Gabrielle tore across the country’s north earlier this month, forcing thousands of people into shelters and killing eleven. The appeal will fund longer term recovery projects and target wealthy expatriates, businesses, and anyone with affection for New Zealand, said…

MAPUTO—Mozambicans took shelter on Friday as tropical storm Freddy made landfall in a small coastal town, with heavy rain expected to batter the country’s southern provinces for several days. French weather forecaster Meteo France, which has a cyclone-monitoring station on the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, said Freddy hit the coast near the tourist…

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar—A weakened Cyclone Freddy which pummeled Madagascar Tuesday night with heavy rains and strong destructive winds, killing four people, is continuing to wreak havoc in the southwest of the Indian Ocean nation. Freddy battered the western city of Mananjary and left 16,660 people displaced and damaged nearly 5,000 homes in the country, according to…

WELLINGTON—New Zealand declared a national state of emergency for only the third time in its history on Tuesday as Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread flooding, landslides, and huge ocean swells, forcing evacuations and stranding people on roof tops. About 225,000 people were left without electricity. “It has been a big night for New Zealanders across the…

Norfolk Island residents are readying themselves as Cyclone Gabrielle bears down on the remote Australian outpost, bringing powerful waves and devastating winds. The centre of the category-three cyclone is predicted to pass over the island on Feb. 11 evening as wind gusts in excess of 200km/h batter the small community. The Bureau of Meteorology said…