Across Mozambique, people are living with a quiet, heavy fear as floodwaters swallow their homes and bring crocodiles into the heart of their communities. The deaths — at least three so far — feel especially cruel. Two lives were lost in Gaza province, and in Moamba, witnesses say a man was taken by a crocodile as the river rose around him.

Paola Emerson of the U.N. describes rivers spilling into crowded neighborhoods, turning familiar streets into deep, murky channels where danger moves silently. The Limpopo, usually a lifeline, has become a pathway for predators.

Weeks of relentless rain have already taken more than 100 lives across Southern Africa. Homes, bridges, schools — entire pieces of daily life — have been washed away, leaving thousands clinging to whatever remains.

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