Tropical Cyclone Freddy has struck Southern Africa multiple times, leaving hundreds dead and prompting Pope Francis to send out a call for prayers.

“I am close to the people of Malawi, of Mozambique and of South Africa, who have been struck in recent days by a powerful cyclone,” Francis said in a March 15 tweet after Freddy's final landfall. “Let us pray together for the deceased, the injured, the displaced. May the Lord sustain the families and communities most affected by this disaster.” 

Tropical Cyclone Freddy initially made landfall Feb. 21 at Madagascar. It weakened as it progressed over land but picked up strength again over the Mozambique Channel and affected Vilankulos, Mozambique. It swirled around for more than a week before crossing the channel again and slowing over Quelimane, Mozambique. Southern Malawi has also been affected.

Freddy is one of the longest-lasting tropical cyclones on record and is one of the deadliest in Africa in recent years, Al Jazeera reported. The cyclone has now lost power and is no longer categorized as a tropical cyclone. 

The death toll surpassed 300, with the number of fatalities expected to rise. Mozambique and Malawi authorities have taken several days to evaluate the damage and loss of life caused by the storm, according to Al Jazeera. Before hitting Mozambique again, the storm had caused the deaths of 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique.

Scientists say that such storms are stronger and are occurring more frequently as a result of climate change, which is caused mainly by industrialized nations releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. 

“Mozambique and Malawi are among the countries least responsible for climate change, yet they are facing the full force of storms that are intensifying due to global warming, driven mostly by carbon emissions from the world's richest nations," Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's East and Southern Africa director, told NPR. 

With a record-breaking seven intensifications and the highest recorded Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE), which measures the amount of energy released by a cyclone over time, Freddy has surpassed all previous records. The cyclone released more energy during its duration than an entire usual hurricane season in the U.S., NPR reported.