was considered the country's worst natural disaster in a century. Flooding continued for days after Eline moved through southern Africa due to waters flowing downstream from neighboring countries. By early March the floods were beginning to recede again, leaving behind a deep layer of mud, ponds of contaminated water, and piles of rotten corpses. While Eline moved ashore, high winds knocked over coconut trees, destroying over of crop fields in conjunction with the floods. The floods killed 30% of the cows in Gaza Province, and about 40,000 cattle died nationwide, with many chickens and goats also killed. Many schools were closed after the storm, including 308 due to damage and others that housed storm victims. The storm knocked over telegraph power lines and caused widespread power and water outages from Inhambane to Beira, while also disrupting ongoing relief efforts. The cities of Chokwe, Chibuto, and Xai Xai all had damage to their water systems. After the storm knocked over 90 power poles, about two-thirds of Beira was without power and water, and two people were killed due to downed power lines. Flooding damaged the World Food Program warehouse in the city. Also in Beira, the combination of strong winds and waves sank five ships in the harbor, including one at the entrance; this halted port traffic for about two weeks. Floods submerged the primary highway connecting the north and south of the country, and damaged several other roads and rail lines, halting the region's economy by preventing movement of goods. About of the rail line between Maputo and Zimbabwe was under water. The swollen Limpopo River isolated the town of Xai-Xai after all connecting roads and the airport were inundated, and the bridge connecting the rest of the region to the south was damaged. Water levels along the river reached as high as above normal in some areas, as well as wide, which broke the record for highest crest by . A dam broke along the river, flooding the town of Chokwe in the middle of the night and trapping several unprepared residents. Flooding there surpassed the previous water depth record by , set in 1977, thus inundating the town up to ceiling of one story buildings. In the city of Inhambane, the flooded Save River swept away several houses. Along the river, 50,000 people were unaccounted for as of March 1, many of whom were washed away. In nearby