Living through a cyclone is an experience residents of Beira will never forget. When Cyclone IDAI struck this area of Mozambique, it did it so quickly and with such deadly force that it caught most of the residents completely off-guard. Angelo Coppola spoke to two residents.

The cyclone blew through Beira and the surrounding areas and high winds and lashing rain lasted for more than nine hours.

JESSICA MISKITA BEIRA RESIDENT "Everything was moving around, even the house was vibrating. The storm was noisy, although the windows muffled the sound of it a little bit. But to be honest, like I guess when my coping mechanism was to sleep. So I slept through most of it."

EBRAIMO MASQUINE BEIRA RESIDENT "First I can't believe the cyclone is like these things I see in that weekend. It's very very strong. Very very strong. The sound, the sound inside the house, if the wind comes inside the house, you see, you listen, many things, it's very very bad. Very. I can't believe the way the god give the power to keep all these people. To keep the windows, to keep the doors, keep these things, in that moment."

After dealing with the initial battering, residents began emerging from their homes, if they were lucky enough not to have their homes ripped up from around them.

JESSICA MISKITA BEIRA RESIDENT "I was just glad my family was OK. At least the immediate family that was there with me. And then we started slowly driving out to connect with people. And then we would just find each other at places."

But for some, the immediate future is more concerning.

EBRAIMO MASQUINE BEIRA RESIDENT "These days is coming is more bad than those days. That things is a few hours - six seven hours is like a 10 days but now I tell you straight, these days is coming is very difficult. I wait for the epidemic, some epidemic, people is going to die, people is going to, no water, no clean water to drink, no food, some people. I think these days is coming is more bad than other days."

ANGELO COPPOLA BEIRA, MOZAMBIQUE "While the devastation is obvious, it's now time to rebuild and that's going to take a huge amount of money. I'm Angelo Coppola for CGTN in BEIRA, MOZAMBIQUE."