The Cyclone Idai storm made landfall shortly after midnight on March 15 in Beira, GPM member city and a port city on the coast of Mozambique, with winds that brought huge rains and submerged villages as it moved inland towards Zimbabwe and Malawi. Beira has been affected heavily by this as it seems 90 per cent of the area is completely destroyed. “Beira is in the dark – it has become a ghost city at night. The situation is extremely serious. The situation is critical and chaotic. The municipality must receive extraordinary support to address the situation. As I talk to you, I’m working on the ground. Our job is to stand with the people and try to solve these problems,” said Mayor Simango of Beira. According to the International Federation of Red Cross the scale of devastation is enormous. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has called it a humanitarian disaster and the UN Secretary General has expressed its solidarity with the Zimbabwe authorities. On behalf of the GPM a Letter of Solidarity will go out to Mayor Simango, who also accepted the Dr. Benjamin Barber Award in 2018. Sister City Bristol has responded to Beira by opening a Fundraiser donations link to use all proceeds to the projects that the Sister City Relations has been actively working on; Women’s Centre; Primary Schools; Preschool and Aids Orphan project. The GPM stands in Solidarity with Mayor Simango and the people of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
