Southern Africa: Tropical Cyclone Chido - Flash Update No. 5, as of 17 December 2024

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tropical Cyclone Chido has affected more than 174,000 people in Mozambique, 34,000 Malawi and 64,000 in the Comoros, destroying thousands homes, according to preliminary reports.
• Chido has weakened into a depression and it has re-entered Mozambique, from Malawi, passing over Tete Province, before dissipating near Zimbabwe.
• Field teams have been deployed provide urgent assistance. Multi- sectoral assessments are ongoing in the worst-affected areas.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

In Mozambique, on 15 December, Tropical Cyclone Chido made landfall in the Mecufi District of Cabo Delgado Province, with winds reaching around 260 km/h, heavy rainfall of approximately 250 mm within 24 hours and severe thunderstorms. This has killed 34 people, injured 319 and affected 174,158 people (34,218 families). It also destroyed or damaged 35,000 houses, affected 9 schools and 10 health facilities, according to preliminary reports by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC) as of 16 December. These figures are subject to change following assessment by teams on the ground.

Chido continues its progress inland with an intensity that continues to weaken. The structure of the system now classifies it as a depression on land. The centre of the system is currently located in the Mozambican Tete Province, north-west, (Manica town), advancing to Zimbabwe. Mozambican residents are invited to follow the evolution of the weather forecast through their national meteorological service. The system is then expected to dissipate definitively on 17 November around Zimbabwe. The hardest hit areas in Cabo Delgado Province include Mecufi, Chiure and Pemba. This indicates significant challenges with electricity and internet connectivity, hampering response efforts. Additionally, there are urgent protection concerns related to the lack of civil documentation services necessitating increased community awareness and risk mitigation efforts.

In Malawi, at least 34,741 people (7,721 families) were affected including 7 deaths reported in 14 districts and 3 cities, according to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) as of 17 December. At least 16 districts have experienced mild to severe damages.

In the Comoros, a week-long national mourning was declared across the country following devastating cyclone Chido in Mayotte . At least five people were injured and 64,167 were affected including more than 47,000 in Anjouan including 171 who lost their homes, 140 displaced. Nine schools and 218 houses were damaged or destroyed while an average of 45 per cent of agricultural crops have been affected, as per preliminary reports.

Although damage was relatively limited compared with initial forecasts, notable impacts were recorded in Anjouan and Mohéli. The cyclone generated torrential rain accompanied by strong winds and landslides, mainly affecting nine localities in Mohéli and 19 in Anjouan.

In Mayotte, Chido struck Mayotte at full intensity on 14 December. Usually spared by cyclones, Mayotte faced an unprecedented event, the likes of which had not been seen in over 90 years. Winds Chido's passage exceeded an average speed of 176 km/h, with gusts reaching 226 km/h. This killed 21 people, injured 830, displaced 100,000 people (now in 70 emergency centres), affected 7,816 buildings and left 15,000 people without access to electricity, according to the France Red Cross. Most roads remain inaccessible and some neighbourhoods have been completely destroyed by mudslides and the collapse of bangas (informal housing in slums). Informal housing, which accommodates at least one-third of the archipelago's population, has been completely destroyed. Key Infrastructure has also been impacted, including the airport and Mayotte Central Hospital. Commercial air connections are suspended with only military flights operative. The airport is expected to reopen on 19 December. Water, electricity and most telephone networks have been cut, making it difficult to assess the human and material toll due to lack of information coming from the field. A warehouse for humanitarian supplies on the Petite-Terre, was partially destroyed and the the Red Cross building on Mamoudzou was damaged, impacting the capacity to respond.

In Zimbabwe, the Meteorological Services Department of Zimbabwe (MSD) has included Chido in their daily reports. As of 16 December, MSD forecast shattered thundershowers in most parts of the country due to moister from Chido. The depression will continue moving westward and combine with a middle-level cloud band from Botswana.

Between 7 and 8 December, Tropical depression Chido developed in the south-eastern Indian Ocean Basin, progressing westward. On 10 December, Chido strengthened reaching the stage of Tropical Cyclone Category 4 (severe typhoon category) but weakened again to Category 3 on 13 December. It passed close to the north of Madagascar on 12 December, then near Glorioso.

Heavy rainfall is expected over parts of central and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), eastern and southern Angola, central Zimbabwe, north-eastern South Africa, central Tanzania, the Seychelles, Lesotho, Eswatini and central Zambia within the next seven days. Communities in high-risk areas are advised to be vigilant of associated flash flooding incidences especially over low-lying areas, landslides over mountainous areas and rivers/stream overflows due to rising water levels and occasional strong gusty winds. Strong winds are expected over northern South Africa, according to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC).