Mozambique: Tropical Cyclone Gombe Flash Update No.5 (As of 22 March 2022)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Severe Tropical Cyclone Gombe made landfall over the coastal area of central Nampula province in the early hours of 11 March as a Category 3 cyclone with heavy rains (200mm/24h) and strong winds (150-185km/h).

• Gombe heavily affected the provinces of Nampula and Zambezia, and to a lesser extent Sofala, Beira, Tete, and Niassa provinces.

• Latest data on the impact indicate that Gombe affected at least 488,570 people (95,717 families), caused 61 deaths, and injured 82 people.

• Some 23,408 people have been displaced and are currently hosted in 52 accommodation centers and two resettlement sites.

• The magnitude of the damage is not yet fully determined as humanitarian partners are gradually accessing areas previously cut off by floods.

• Considering the overstretched resources and ongoing humanitarian crisis in the northern region, further financial support to cover the unfolding needs is urgently needed.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Tropical Cyclone Gombe made landfall on 11 March in Mossuril district, Nampula province. Gombe hit Mozambique as a Category 3 cyclone with heavy rains (200mm/24h) and strong winds (150-185km/h). The cyclone heavily affected the provinces of Nampula and Zambezia, and to a lesser extent Sofala, Beira, Tete, and Niassa provinces.

According to the latest data from the Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD), to date, Gombe affected at least 488,570 people (95,717 families), caused 61 deaths, and injured 82 people. Some 23,408 people have been displaced and are currently hosted in 52 accommodation centers and two resettlement sites.

A total of 41,587 houses have been damaged along with 69 health centers, 1,458 classrooms (143,904 students affected), 2,748 electricity poles and 12 water systems. A total of 91,177 hectares of crops have been lost with grave concern for the food security outlook of the affected areas.

A total of 1,008 km of roads have been severely damaged, including the national road (EN1) that connects Quelimane, the Administrative Capital of Zambezia province, to Nampula. Damage between Nicoadala-Mocuba (Zambezia) extended for 42m; the interruption effectively cut off Northern Mozambique from the rest of the country, leaving air transport as the quickest option for movement. On 22 March, the National Road Administration of Mozambique (ANE) indicated that emergency repair work on EN1 had started, and a temporary structure would be completed to facilitate transit already as of 23 March. The full rehabilitation of EN1 will be completed after the end of the rainy season.

Nampula’s most affected districts are: Mongicual, Liupo, Angoche, Larde, Moma, Ilha de Mocambique, Mossuril, Monapo, Meconta. Four of the nine most affected districts in Nampula are currently inaccessible (Angoche, Mongicual, Moma, and Larde). However, teams are finding ways to access them, also through the use of drones. In Zambezia, the most affected districts are: Maganja da Costa, Nicoadala, Quelimane, Mocuba.

There is serious concern that the magnitude of damage is not yet fully determined as humanitarian partners are gradually accessing areas that had been cut off by floods, specifically in Zambezia. The figures on the impact of people affected and damage are likely to increase further in the coming days. Prior to Gombe, this rainy/cyclonic season had already affected more than 271,900 people, injured 251 people, and killed 75 people across Mozambique.