Cyclone Freddy wreaked havoc in central Mozambique on Sunday after making its second appearance in a month, breaking records for the duration and strength of tropical storms in the southern hemisphere.

Communications and electricity in the affected area have been cut, leaving the extent of damage and the number of casualties unclear.

More than 171,000 people were affected by the cyclone last month, killing 27 people in Mozambique and Madagascar.

Mozambique

More than half a million are at risk of being affected this time in Mozambique, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

UNICEF said in a statement that Freddy made landfall with sustained winds of nearly 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour), causing “severe damage”. The storm continued inland towards the southern tip of neighboring Malawi, according to satellite data.

“A large-scale disaster is expected and additional support will be needed,” said Guy Taylor, UNICEF’s head of advocacy, communications and partnerships for Mozambique, adding that heavy rains were continuing.

In Malawi, authorities expect the cyclone to pass near the southern tip of the country by evening, causing torrential rain and flooding, the department of meteorological resources and climate change said in a statement.

Mozambique

Freddy developed on February 6 off the northwest coast of Australia, before tracking thousands of miles across the southern Indian Ocean toward southeast Africa, affecting the islands of Mauritius and La Reunion.

The storm hit Madagascar’s east coast on February 21 before hitting Mozambique a few days later, bringing torrential rain, damaging winds and flooding that leveled homes, affecting nearly 2 million people.

Mozambique

It then moved back towards the Mozambique Channel, gaining energy from the warm waters and heading towards the southwest coast of Madagascar.