LyrArc Article Gist
Aerial pictures of the damage done by cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Over 2.6 million people are affected in the three countries and the port city of Beira with 500,000 people is an island in the ocean completely cut off from the rest of Mozambique. Dams in the area of Beira are also under threat of bursting.

LyrArc Article Gist
Video pictures of families sorting out the wreckage or standing in line for aid supplies after the cyclone Idai leaves devastation in large parts of coastal Mozambique, including the port of Beira.

LyrArc Article Gist
A tropical cyclone hits large parts of Mozambique and other Southern African countries destroying electricity and communication grids. It shows that climate change and rapid urbanization can hit these countries at the same time. The Red Cross says 90% of the city of Beira with population of 600,000 has been destroyed. Wind speeds were upto 105 miles per hour.

LyrArc Article Gist
The strange story of an aging ship in extremely bad shape from a Black sea port in Georgia with a 2750 ton shipment of ammonium nitrate with a crew on unpaid wages making its way to port Beira in Mozambique in 2013. It is leased by a Russian owner living in Cyprus who would make $1 million for transporting the shipment to Fabrica de Explosivos de Mozambique. It makes an unscheduled stop in Beirut after problems with seamen on the crew to pickup some heavy machinery which might help pay the ship's crews wages. The machinery does not fit and in any case the ship is in such bad condition and cannot handle any machinery.  The port authorites are interested only in the docking fees which the indebted Russian owner does not pay and abandons his leased ship. The port of Beirut impounds the ship for unpaid docking fees which turns out to be the reason the ship remains in Beirut harbor. The ship fails shipping standards and takes in water, it remains in Beirut harbor till 2014 when the ship sinks. Before that the Beirut authorites for some strange reason unload the ammonium nitrate and leave it in Hangar 12 warehouse where it remained till it exploded yesterday. The authorites never gave much thought to the ammonium nitrate and its dangers till after unloading it. After unloading no one accepted responsibility. The Russian who had leased the ship was living in Cyprus and took no responsibility. The government of Lebanon also did not know what to do with it.  Repeated attempts by the port authorites asking the government to take some action for disposal fails to lead to any action. There is now a sense that Lebanon is a failing state because of the nature of this incident.   ...