Mozambique: Tropical Storm Ana Flash Update No.8 (As of 8 February 2022)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tropical storm Ana affected 180,869 people, injured 207 people, and killed at least 38 people, mostly in Zambezia, Nampula, and Tete provinces, flooding a total of 70,982 hectares of land.

• Serious concerns persist about the impact of the storm on highly vulnerable people and the limited resources available to respond to the unfolding needs.

• In-depth multisectoral needs assessments have been completed in the provinces of Nampula and Zambezia, while are still ongoing in Tete.

• Response efforts led by the Government are being carried out in all affected provinces and will be complemented in the next days with further activities and distributions by partners.

• High alert remains for the tropical cyclone Batsirai, which has recently hit eastern Madagascar with winds up to 150 km/h, as it entered the Mozambique channel on 6 February. While the cyclone has weakened to 80km/h, heavy rains could affect the southern province of Inhambane. Another low-pressure system, named Cliff, has recently formed in the Indian Ocean and is being closely monitored.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

On 24 January, tropical storm Ana made landfall in Angoche district, Nampula province, significantly affecting the provinces of Zambezia, Nampula and Tete and, to a lesser extent Niassa, Sofala, and Cabo Delgado.

To date, the storm has affected 180,869 people, injured 207 people, and killed at least 38 people. It has destroyed more than 12,000 houses and damaged 26 health centers, 25 water supply systems, 138 power poles, and some 2,275 km of roads, according to the latest data released by the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD). Moreover, tropical storm Ana flooded a total of 37,930 hectares of crops, with serious concern about the impact on food security, and reportedly impacted 765 schools and destroyed 2,457 classrooms, affecting a total of 298,442 students.

In addition to the impact of tropical storm Ana, concerns persist about the intense tropical cyclone Batsirai, which entered the Mozambique channel on 6 February, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM). Batsirai formed over the Indian Ocean on 26 January and later evolved into a tropical cyclone, recently hitting eastern Madagascar with winds up to 150km/h. As per latest modelling, cyclone Batsirai has declined into a moderate tropical storm and is currently heading south, not expected to make landfall on the Mozambican coast. Nevertheless, high alert remains as heavy rains are expected in the southern province of Inhambane in the next days, possibly leading to flooding. Jointly with Batsirai, humanitarians continue closely monitoring the recent formation of another low-pressure system over the Indian Ocean named Cliff, currently classified as tropical depression.