Mozambique: Tropical Cyclone Freddy, Floods and Cholera - Situation Report No.1

This report is produced by OCHA Mozambique in collaboration with humanitarian partners.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Over one million people have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy, floods and cholera.  A total of 290,000 people have been reached with multisectoral humanitarian assistance.

• The cholera outbreak continues to spread. As of 4 April, 24,075 cases have been reported across eight provinces.

• Assessments, have taken place in Sofala, Niassa and Zambezia.

• An addendum to the 2023 HRP for Mozambique was published to provide support to 815,000 people affected by the triple crisis, with financial requirements of U$138 million.

• The significant crop loss right before the main harvest has further impacted people living in areas that were highly food insecure areas. There are 3.15 million people in IPC 3 and above in Mozambique.

• 1.1M Number of people affected

• 23K Total cumulative number of cholera cases

• 815K People targeted for humanitarian assistance

• 290K People reached by humanitarian assistance

SITUATION OVERVIEW

More than a million people across eight provinces of Mozambique – Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Sofala, Tete and Zambezia – are bearing the brunt of the compounding effect of cholera, floods and cyclone Freddy. Freddy displaced over 184,000 people, who have sought shelter in accommodation centres (ACs) across the affected districts. Cyclone Freddy destroyed over 132,000 homes, leaving more than 640,000 people homeless damaged over 1,017 schools and over 5,000 kilometers of roads. The impact of the multiple crises, on top of the emergency in northern Mozambique, means that every province of Mozambique is affected.

The triple crisis has had a massive humanitarian and socio-economic impact. A total of 391,000 hectares of land have been affected (INGD). Given the land tenure pattern, with average landholdings of one hectare, this could mean that more than a million people are affected by crop losses. The significant crop loss right before the main harvest has affected areas already highly food insecure as per the latest IPC report. There are 3.15 million people in IPC 3 and above in Mozambique.

As of 4 April, 24,075 cholera cases have been reported. In the last week of March, 4,829 cases and 12 deaths were reported. The majority of new cases and deaths were reported from Quelimane district (3,184 cases, 10 deaths). Following a first Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) campaign carried out at the end of February, a second OCV campaign started on 30 March in the provinces of Zambezia, Manica and Sofala. The campaign, conducted between 30 March and 3 April reached approximately 1,176,553 people out of 1,277,539 targeted with is equivalent to 92 per cent of the total caseload.

Some 290,000 people have been reached with multisectoral assistance. Partners have carried out several assessments in support of the response targeting persons who were internally displaced and host communities. A Multi-cluster Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) was completed in Zambezia province across five districts (City of Quelimane, Maganja da Costa, Mocuba, Nicoadala, and Namacurra), and the results are being analyzed. Displaced Tracking Matrix Assessments were conducted in Zambezia (Nicoadala, Nante, Namacurra, Milange), Sofala (Murraça, Caia, Sena) and Niassa (Mecanhelas, Mandimba) provinces while a GBV Safety Audit assessment took place in Zambezia (Nicoadala). Other multisector assessments were done in Zambezia (Namacurra) and Sofala (Beira, Dondo, Nhamatanda, Caia).

On 30 March, an Addendum to the 2023 HRP was published. The Addendum aims to complement the efforts of the Government of Mozambique to assist people affected by cholera, floods and cyclone Freddy. The Addendum seeks to address the most immediate and critical needs of 815,000 people in southern and central Mozambique, out of a total of 1.1 people affected by the compounding effects of the triple crisis. Activities included in the HRP Addendum to in support of the cholera response target 6.4 million people with RCCE, another 2.7 million people with Wash/Health interventions and 120,000 people with case management. A total of U$138 million is sought to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and enable the most affected people to restart their lives with food security and livelihoods support, health, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and shelter/NFIs. The HRP Addendum also reflects requirements to contain and treat cholera in Mozambique. On 16 March, a grant of $10 million was released by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to kick-start the cyclone and cholera response.