ReliefWeb

IN NUMBERS

• 1.85 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance

• +500 000 ha of crops estimated to be destroyed by flooding and Cyclone Idai

• USD 19 million needed to support 425 000 people

OVERVIEW

• On 14 March 2019, Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall near the port city of Beira before sweeping through five provinces – Inhambane, Manica, Sofala, Tete and Zambezia – decimating livelihoods and leaving a trail of death, destruction and damage in its wake.

• An estimated 1.85 million people are in need of urgent assistance. As of 18 April, over 600 deaths had been recorded and more than 130 000 people had been displaced.

• Prior to the Cyclone and the floods that preceded and followed it, an estimated 1.78 million people were already severely food insecure in Mozambique, according to the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) analysis and the Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SETSAN).

• These numbers will rise now that the water has receded and the extent of the damage to productive, agricultural and fisheries infrastructure and assets becomes clear. To support the resilience of affected people, FAO is already working to deliver targeted expertise, seeds and livestock to ease immediate food and nutrition needs, ensure the main winter harvest is not missed and diversify livelihoods to promote recovery and build resilience to future shocks.

• FAO is seeking an initial USD 19 million to rebuild critical agricultural and fisheries infrastructure, resume local food production and support livestock owners. So far, USD 3.85 million has been raised, which can immediately reach some 95 000 people. A gap of USD 15.5 million – 80 percent – remains.