Mozambique: Severe Tropical Storm Freddy and Floods - Flash Update No.6 (as of 02 March 2023) [EN/PT]

HIGHLIGHTS

• The confluence of multiple threats is compounding a severe humanitarian situation in Mozambique.

• More than 232 000 people have been affected by floods and Tropical Storm Freddy-induced rainfall and flooding across south central Mozambique in February.

• Continued rainfall in central and southern Mozambique and surrounding countries is adding to current flooding threatening critical road infrastructure, crops, housing, and public buildings like schools and health facilities.

• Flooding is increasing the risk of cholera at a time when the country is struggling to contain a cholera outbreak with over a 1,000 cases registered in the last week. A cholera vaccination campaign with some 720,000 doses started on 27 February.

• Focus on the unfolding climate crisis in the center and south of Mozambique should not divert attention and capacity from the complex humanitarian crisis affecting two million people in the north and from resourcing its response through the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan. Humanitarian capacity is stretched and lacks the supplies and staff to respond to this new crisis.

• Additional resources are urgently needed, particularly for the immediate recovery of agricultural activities and key infrastructure to avert a widespread and protracted crisis affecting basic services, economic activities and agriculture.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Tropical Storm Freddy reached Mozambique on 24 February as a moderate tropical storm. It brought heavy rain between 250-300 mm over a period of three days affecting in particular the provinces of Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, and Sofala.

As of 28 February, the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD) reports that TS Freddy affected 163,808 people (34,525 families), the majority of whom in Inhambane province (96,071), Maputo City (32,230) Sofala (25,111) and Gaza (10,486). This comes on top of 44,235 already affected in Maputo city and province following heavy rains in the preceding weeks. Tete (10,486) and Manica (13,800) provinces have also been affected in February, bringing the total people affected by floods to 232,419.

The storm generated significant damage to infrastructure. Due to the compounded effects of flooding and TS Freddy the INGD estimates that 15,000 houses were totally or partially destroyed, 19,885 houses were flooded, 684 schools affected, 985 kms of road damaged, approximately 92,000 hectares of agriculture land affected, and four bridges destroyed.

On 28 February, the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) warned that heavy rains above 100 mm over 24 hours were expected over the provinces of Inhambane, Gaza, Manica and Sofala until 1 March. On the same day, INAM reported that in the previous 24 hours, the meteorological stations of Massangena and Vilankulo in Inhambane province recorded above normal rainfall of 239.8 mm/day and 175.4 mm/day respectively.

INGD projects that the watersheds of Limpopo, Inhanombe, Mutamba, Buzi and Pungue will maintain alert levels with a tendency to rise due to persistent rains; the rainy season ends in April. The river basins of the Maputo, Umbeluzi, Incomati, Limpopo, Buzi, Punguoe Zambeze and Rovuma will continue to register a high volume of discharges. INGD expects urban flooding and rainfall erosion in the cities of Beira, Chibuto, Inhambane, Maxixe, Maputo and Matola.
Flooding of the Limpopo river basin coincides with the harvest period (March to May) of the main cropping season for the south and central part of the country, in areas that were identified as IPC 3 (food security crisis). Food assistance, coupled with short cycle and horticultural season seeds distribution, will be necessary to support food security of people affected by the floods. To take advantage of the next planting season, the short season in May, seeds should reach farmers’ hands by April.

Flooding is increasing the risk of cholera at a time when the country is struggling to contain an outbreak that has affected 6,690 cases since September 2022. A cholera vaccination drive began on 27 February; the campaign targets 720,000 people, one year and older, to be vaccinated in eight districts. Due to the strain on the availability of vaccines which prompted the International Coordinating Group to temporarily suspend the standard two-dose vaccination regimen in cholera outbreak response campaigns, Mozambique will use a single-dose. The campaign is taking place in Niassa, Sofala, Zambezia and Gaza.

The confluence of multiple threats is compounding a severe humanitarian situation in Mozambique where two million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection across the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Nampula. In 2023, humanitarian partners target to support 1.6 million conflict affected people.
The climate and cholera crises are far above the capacity of humanitarian organizations on the ground. Humanitarian supplies and capacity in central and southern Mozambique are limited and resources for the humanitarian response in the conflict-affected provinces in the north is also struggling with resource shortfalls.

Development partners need to support the Government in repairs to road infrastructure, schools, health facilities as well as to support the imminent short planting season. Without these, logistics challenges will hinder the humanitarian response as well as the resumption of classes, health services and economic activities. People’s resilience and self-reliance will be severely affected.

Mozambique needs urgent support to address the losses and damages caused by the current climate crisis and avoid yet another externally induced setback to its poverty reduction and sustainable development progress.