Floodwaters triggered by Cyclone Kenneth’s heavy rains rage in parts of Mozambique, causing homes to collapse.

Rescuers raced to help people caught in fast-rising floodwaters in Mozambique‘s cyclone-hit city of Pemba on Sunday, as houses collapsed in one neighbourhood and heavy rain raised fears of worse to come.

More than 160,000 people have been affected in the largely rural region, many left exposed and hungry.

“Help us, we are losing everything!” residents of the northern city shouted at passing cars as the rushing waters flooded their homes. Women and girls with buckets and pots tried to scoop away the torrent. But in vain – the water poured into doorways.

In the worst-affected neighbourhood of Natite, homes have begun to collapse, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a tweet.

“We are unfortunately expecting devastating floods,” it said.

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Cyclone Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai ripped into central Mozambique and killed more than 600 people in the flooding. The new storm’s remnants could dump twice as much rain as Idai, the UN said.

As much as 250 millimetres, or about one-quarter of the average annual rainfall for the region, has been forecast over the next few days.

“I have never seen such rains in my life,” said one Pemba resident, 35-year-old Michael Fernando.

Happening now: Water levels in Pemba, #Mozambique, continue to rise in a worrying way. Houses started to collapse in Natite neighbourhood, according to the rescue team operating there. We are unfortunately expecting devastating floods as consequence of #CycloneKenneth pic.twitter.com/FKOdRf9wkG — OCHA Southern & Eastern Africa (@UNOCHA_ROSEA) April 28, 2019

This was the first time in recorded history that the southern African nation has been hit by two cyclones in one season, again raising concerns about climate change.

Rescue workers evacuated at least 130 people to centres elsewhere in the city on Sunday, mostly by boat, said Salviano Abreu, spokesman for OCHA.

In Macomia district, Cyclone Kenneth flattened more than 35,000 homes [Saviano Abreu/ OCHA via AFP]

Some Pemba residents tried to pile up tyres and sandbags outside their homes to keep the rising water out, while elsewhere small, rapid rivers formed, carving trenches into the streets.

Children took refuge in a bus that appeared to be stuck as vehicles struggled on the streets. One woman stood, seemingly stunned, as the rain pounded down.

“We will keep moving until we get somewhere safe,” one man said, as people fled carrying belongings in plastic bags.

In the city’s Mahate neighbourhood, a large crack had formed in the ground, prompting OCHA to warn of landslides.

We just visited Mahate neighbourhood in Pemba, where landslides are feared. The population is still in the zone, with some houses too close to this large crack crossing the community. @ICalamidades is mobilizing a team to evacuate the area. Photos: OCHA/@savianoabreu pic.twitter.com/c3ISVDl6H7 — OCHA Southern & Eastern Africa (@UNOCHA_ROSEA) April 28, 2019

There was no immediate word on the extent of flooding outside Pemba.

Authorities have said at least five people died after Kenneth roared in Thursday evening with the force of a Category 4 hurricane, stunning residents of a region where such a storm had not been recorded in the modern era.

More than 35,000 homes in parts of Mozambique’s northernmost Cabo Delgado were partially or fully destroyed by the storm.

Images shared by OCHA showed rows of wooden houses, separated by sandy paths, that had been almost completely flattened. Only a few structures and the occasional coconut tree were left standing.

“Not a single house is standing any more,” Abreu told reporters.