MAPUTO, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Mozambican government on Tuesday issued a red alert over the tropical cyclone Idai expected to make landfall on Friday, which is likely to hit the country's central region with devastating storms and flooding rains.

"The main reason (for the alert) is the approaching of the tropical cyclone Idai, an intense cyclone that requires monitoring measures and caution, because as predicted, strong winds and thunderstorms represent a high risk for people and properties," said government spokesperson Ana Comoana.

The cyclone's intensity is equal to that of a Category Three hurricane in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific oceans, and the winds can cause devastating damage, including to well-built framed homes, in the vicinity of landfall, reported AccuWeather.

As Idai moves inland, flooding downpours will spread throughout the interior of central Mozambique and into eastern Zimbabwe from Friday into this weekend, said AccuWeather.

The upcoming intensive rainfall will worsen the current situation of flooding which Tete and other provinces in the region have been going through, and about 10 deaths have already been reported there in the past days.

"We appeal to people to abandon hazardous areas, as the tropical cyclone will cause more rains, so people living along the rivers should move to safer areas," district administrator Domingos Viola spoke to Radio Mozambique in Tete on Tuesday, urging people to follow the advices.