At least 40 people have died and more than 117,000 have been affected by two tropical storms that hit Mozambique in January, dpa quoted the United Nations as saying on Tuesday. Tropical Cyclone Funso struck on January 20, affecting about65,000 people, while the earlier Tropical Storm Dando caused damage that affected about 51,670 people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The agency said the country is still on alert and requires hygiene kits and food aid in order to prevent illness. Thousands of people remain homeless owing to floods caused by the heavy rain and are in need of tents, the UN said. In 2000, floods across Mozambique killed 700 people and left half a million homeless. Since then the government has increased the usage of radio to alert people to upcoming bad weather, giving them more time to flee to safety when storms hit the southern African nation.
