It matters because we’re talking human lives, which can be an abstract concept when discussing politics. Cyclone Idai’s death toll is at 958, making it the 3rd deadliest in the entire southern hemisphere. It compares to Mozambique’s worst disaster, which was in early 2000, when weeks of flooding preceded Cyclone Eline, together killing 700 people in Mozambique. Idai has killed 598 in Mozambique, and the death toll is still rising.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7363 - here is satellite imagery showing floods in Mozambique eight days after the storm struck.
One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic. ;(
