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Mozambique: Tropical Cyclones Idai and Kenneth - Emergency Appeal n° MDRMZ014 Operation Update no. 2

Countries
Mozambique
Sources
IFRC
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A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Description of the disaster

Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique through the city of Beira, central Mozambique on 14th March 2019 at 23:30 GMT. Winds from the cyclone reached more than 100 miles per hour, and caused heavy rains affecting Sofala, Zambezia, Tete and Manica provinces. Mozambique National Disaster Management Institute (INGC) indicated that 1.5 million people were affected, including more than 140,000 people displaced – many sheltered across 139 evacuation centers, spontaneous settings and makeshift shelters.

Landfalls on the city of Beira affected the region of Sofala, Zambezia, Tete and Manica provinces. It was reported that up to 1.8 million people affected, including nearly 400,000 people displaced and sheltered in 143 accommodation centers. According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), as of 14 June, 4 accommodation centers were still open hosting around 881 households (3,132 people), in addition to 46 relocation sites with 11,233 households (50,114 people) in Manica, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia Provinces. Over 600 people were confirmed dead, more than 1,500 people injured, and some 90,000 homes damaged and destroyed.

On March 27, the Government declared a Cholera outbreak and confirmed 5 diagnosed cases of cholera in Beira City, and 2,500 cases of acute watery diarrhea in Beira. On April 18, official reports recorded at least 6,382 cholera cases in the country and at least 8 deaths. A mass vaccination campaign by the Ministry of Health and WHO was carried out and reached more than 800,000 people quickly remitting the number of cases thus the last positive case was registered on May 18th. IFRC supported by setting-up 11 Oral Rehydration Points (ORPs) in 9 of the most affected districts, trained volunteers for community mobilization and providing emergency care. The ORPs has since then turned to Community Mobilization Health Points, including centers for malaria prevention.

Tropical Cyclone Kenneth made landfall through the Cabo Delgado province on the evening of April 25, 2019. The winds most severely affected Macomia and Ibo districts in Cabo Delgado including the islands. It is reported that the cyclone resulted in 45 deaths and left some 400,000 people in need of assistance. Reports from ACAPS say that nearly 45,000 houses were either partially or totally destroyed. In addition, food security and livelihoods became a major concern as floods reportedly affected 55,000 hectares of crops during the harvest period, with 40% reported completely destroyed. More than 10,000 fishing boats and equipment were also reportedly destroyed.

Mozambique is experiencing its worst food insecurity emergency since the 2015/16 drought with an atypically high number of households in need of emergency assistance. This is the result of multiple shocks including tropical cyclones Idai, and Kenneth with associated torrential rainfall, severe flooding and drought in southern semiarid areas. These shocks have significantly impacted crop production across the country and livelihoods, specifically in Cyclone affected areas. \Due to the significantly below-average harvest, the lean season is expected to begin atypically early. Household food stocks are likely to be exhausted by September. In areas most affected by this year’s shocks, namely in Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala, Manica and parts of Zambézia provinces, poor households are expected to have increased reliance on negative coping strategies to meet their minimum food needs. The poor and very poor households are expected to continue facing crisis food security outcomes in January 2020, with humanitarian food assistance needed most likely until the harvest in April 2020. (Source: FEWSNET report Food Security Outlook June 2019 final).