Deadly cyclone Kenneth nearing Mozambique's north shores

Kenneth passed by the Indian Ocean archipelago nation Comoros, battering it with high winds and heavy rains

In Mozambique - dozens of schools are closed and all flights between the capital Maputo and Pemba have been cancelled.

Forecasters at Meteo-France are warning that Kenneth could trigger waves off Mozambique's northeastern shore as much as five metres  higher than usual.

The storm will also pass neighboring southern Tanzania. 

The Red Cross says it's especially concerned about the storm's impact, as many communities in Mozambique are still recovering from Idai.

Cyclone Idai cut a path of destruction through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe - leaving more than a thousand people dead.

Here at home, paramedics are preparing for another possible rescue mission in Mozambique as Kenneth barrels its way towards that coast.

The north coast based, IPSS Medical Rescue and Rescue South Africa are expected to depart from Joburg by tomorrow morning -  and are to meet with rescuers from the South African government on arrival in Pemba. 

IPSS's Paul Herbst says they're expecting a greater impact on local communities there this time around.

"Taking our experience with Idai that we had a month ago - looking at the weather report - it is now sitting at a Category 4 Cyclone. So it seems to be more intense than Idai. We will take more equipment, more resources and rescue technicians up for this."

Forecaster at the South African Weather Service, Wiseman Dlamini says Kenneth is not expected to pose any threat for South Africans.

"We don't expect it to pose any danger - within our [weather patterns] in South Africa, and within our coastline of KZN. Looking at its position, it's far north of Mozambique. So, looking at the movement it will not be moving towards us and should not be a worry at this stage."