His adoptive city of Beira in Mozambique may have been devastated by Cyclone Idai, but for Temba Dimingo it is still more of a home to him than Zimbabwe, his country of birth.
He lost all his property and livelihood during the floods that displaced most of the port city's 530,000 residents when disaster struck on March 14.
"What was experienced in Zimbabwe is nothing compared to what I saw here. The first thing I thought of was my daughter, who was about two weeks old then. There was nothing I could do. It was in the middle of the night and the whole city had been plunged into darkness," he said.
"I only managed to search for somewhere safe for my family the following day. Houses were destroyed, roads were impassable; it was horrifying."
But Dimingo, who moved to Beira in 2010, has started to rebuild his life there.
HIT BY INFLATION
He decided to leave Zimbabwe when the economy continued to tank under former president Robert Mugabe.
"Zimbabwe is way ahead of Mozambique in terms of development, but the only problem is that there is no money and jobs," he said this week.
At home, fuel shortages have persisted and the price of basic goods and services has increased by nearly 60% since the introduction of a new local currency. The RTGS dollar has done little to end cash shortages, and inflation at 59% is in hyperinflation territory.
In Beira, the trail of devastation left by Cyclone Idai has resulted in a spike in prices. Accommodation in Mataccuani, where Dimingo lives, increased to a daily average of 3,000 meticals ($46,34) from 2,000 meticals. The price of basic goods such as mealie meal has more than doubled from 250 meticals to 600 meticals.
At least 1,000 cholera cases have so far been confirmed by health authorities in Mozambique, with the NGO World Vision warning that more than 23,000 people are at risk of contracting the waterborne disease.
IN THE SAME BOAT
Other Zimbabwean expatriates share Dimingo's sentiments.
Crispen Kanda, who works at the Miramar Hotel, has lived in Beira for six years. He, too, has no intention to leave the cyclone-ravaged city.
"Going back home will mean years of idleness and waiting for the economy to improve, something we have been doing for years. I have a family now so I need to be able to fend for them. Mozambique has given me that opportunity. I can't say the same of Zimbabwe," he said.
Mark Chimwaza said there are high risks wherever there is money. "So I will rather face challenges here in Beira where I can afford to earn a decent income than stay in the comfort in Zimbabwe without money," he said.But others, such as Fortune Sanyatwe, who teaches at a school in Beira, said he would not hesitate to return home once the economic situation there improved."We are not here by choice. The poor state of the economy back home forces us to stay here even when natural disasters threaten our lives," he said.The private sector in Zimbabwe this week launched the Reboot Fund, which aims to raise $100m to help rebuild affected areas...