Before Eline struck Mozambique, storm warnings and later hurricane warnings were issued on February 21. Flooding had affected the nation since January, with some areas receiving a year's worth of rainfall in two weeks. Widespread areas were inundated, with about 220,000 people displaced, and about 150 people killed. Eline moved ashore with very powerful winds, although there were no direct observations of the strongest winds. In Beira, the closest major city to the landfall point, winds reached storm force. However, the rainfall from Eline was the most impacting following the preexisting flooding, which were the worst since 1951. The floods were beginning to recede by the time Eline arrived, and by the end of February 2000, the situation 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.