Attachments
Highlights
- Cyclone Chido made landfall in the early hours of 15 December bring strong winds and rain to Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces before passing over Niassa and Tete provinces as well as Malawi.
- Initial assessments in the most affected districts reveal widespread destruction of homes, schools and health facilities. In some areas, the situation is described as near total destruction.
- Communication systems are largely disrupted, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the devastation and needs.
- Reports of injuries are increasing and health facilities have a limited ability to respond due to damaged infrastructure and supplies as well as the lack of electricity.
- UNICEF teams began assessments on December 16th in the affected districts of Mecufi, Chiure and Metuge.
- Funding and stocks available are insufficient to meet these needs.
- In advance of the storm, UNICEF sent WASH and health supplies to partners and field locations.
Situation in Numbers
75,000 people in affected districts (Source: INDG)
91,000 children affected
27 dead (Source: INDG)
At least 9 schools, 180 classrooms damaged or destroyed (Source: UNICEF & Interagency)
At least 10 health facilities damaged or destroyed (Source: INDG)
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF’s initial assessment is that a minimum of US$10 million is required to respond to urgent needs in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces. This figure is likely to increase as the extent of the damage to infrastructure, public facilities, and communities becomes better understood in the coming days. UNICEF has some flexible global humanitarian thematic funding available and is evaluating the potential activation of crisis modifiers on several development grants to enable a scaled-up response. USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance has informed UNICEF that funds for the Cabo Delgado conflict response can be repurposed for the cyclone response. While this will be key to delivering at a greater scale and meeting the needs of more of those impacted, the Cabo Delgado response is significantly underfunded, and the impact of Cyclone Chido will further stretch humanitarian operations within the province.
Many of the locations requiring assistance are not included in UNICEF’s HAC 2025 appeal. Thus, UNICEF’s funding requirements for 2025 will be higher than anticipated, even before the start of the year.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
Cyclone Chido made landfall on 15 December in Mecufi district in Cabo Delgado province as an intense tropical cyclone with strong gusts of 165km per hour and heavy rains. As many as 1.7 million people, including many conflictaffected populations, may have been affected. This strength of cyclone is uncommon at this early point in the rainy season.
Though Pemba town did not suffer as significantly as predicted, initial reports from rural areas are identifying significant destruction. UNICEF assessment teams travelled with government and interagency colleagues on December 16th to Mecufi, Chiure and Metuge districts. Colleagues reported widespread destruction of health facilities and schools, as well as homes, and damage to UNICEF’s multipurpose centres.
As of 2100 on 16 December, the government’s Institute of National Disaster Management (INGD) has identified, in all impacted areas, 175,000 people affected with 27 deaths and 36 injured. UNICEF estimates that over 91,000 children are among the affected population. INGD has also identified nearly 24,000 houses destroyed and more than 11,700 homes have been damaged. UNICEF and our partners have identified over 180 classrooms and 10 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed. Impacts are also being assessed in Namuno, Montepuez, and Ancuabe districts in Cabo Delgado as well as less affected districts of Niassa and Nampula provinces. All of these figures are provisional and expected to increase in the coming days.
UNICEF’s field office in Pemba suffered only minor damage and is now a hub for several other agencies whose facilities did not fare as well. UNICEF’s main warehouse was damaged, and the rubhall used to store additional buckets was significantly damaged, however, the loss of supplies was minimal. UNICEF is sending additional emergency, WASH, health, social behaviour change and logistics staff to the affected provinces to support coordination and response activities.