Southern Africa: Tropical Cyclone Freddy - Flash Update No. 7 (14 March 2023)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tropical Cyclone Freddy made its second landfall in Mozambique on 11 March and then moved inland towards southern Malawi.

• The President of Malawi has declared a State of Disaster in the Southern Region of the country, where over 100 people have reportedly died.

• Heavy rains are expected in the coming days in both Mozambique and Malawi, heightening the risk of further floods and landslides.

• Humanitarian partners are supporting the Government-led responses to Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Tropical Cyclone Freddy made its second landfall in Mozambique in Quelimane District, Zambezia Province, on 11 March.

The Freddy weather system has continued to move over land as a tropical depression, with a localized centre close to the border between Mozambique and the southern tip of Malawi, according to Meteo France. Although the system has weakened considerably, it is still generating intense rainfall in the interior of Mozambique and southern Malawi, with extreme rainfall forecasted for the days ahead across Zambezia, Sofala and Tete provinces in Mozambique and southern Malawi, according to the latest Flood Risk Bulletin produced for and with support of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom.

In Mozambique, Freddy has brought strong winds to Zambezia province, as well as heavy rains (above 200mm/24h) to Zambezia, Sofala, Manica, Tete and Niassa provinces. Some of these provinces received as much rain in 24 hours as they would usually experience in one month. In Zambezia province alone, over 22,000 people have sought refuge in temporary accommodation centres, 10 people have died and 14 have been injured. About 1,900 houses have been damaged (1,050) or destroyed (832), according to preliminary data from the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD), and these figures are expected to rise ahead as further information becomes available. Basic services and public infrastructure have also been affected.

Following Freddy ‘s first landfall in Inhambane province on 24 February, about 171,400 people were affected—including 10 killed, 10 injured and 5,100 displaced—by heavy rains and floods. More than 30,000 houses were affected, according to INGD as of 6 March.

Freddy’s landfall came on the back of floods in Mozambique that had already impacted more 43,000 people since 3 February, particularly in Maputo. Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak in Mozambique continues to spread, and the number of confirmed cholera cases has risen to nearly 8,500 as of 12 March.

In Malawi, the President has declared a State of Disaster in the Southern Region, particularly Blantyre City and District, Chikwawa District, Chiradzulu District, Mulanje District, Mwanza District, Neno District, Nsanje District, Phalombe District, Thyolo District, and Zomba City and District. At least 111 people have lost their lives, and at least 16 are reportedly missing following heavy rains and strong winds attributed to the Freddy weather system since 12 March, according to Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA). Eighty-five of those killed died due to mudslides in Cilobwe township in Blantyre district. Some 19,000 people (4,000 households) have been displaced in the hardest-hit districts (Nsanje (approximately 5,850 people), Chikwawa (5,004), Mulanje (3,659), Thyolo (2,390) Blantyre City and District (1,647), Chiradzulu (765)), while data is not yet available for Mwanza, Neno and Phalombe. Water levels in areas surrounding the Shire River have started to rise and Thuchila River is also at risk of flooding. Rainfall accumulation over southern Malawi could reach 400mm to 500mm over the space of 72 hours. The Ministry of Education temporarily suspended classes in the 10 at-risk districts on 13 and 14 March.

In Madagascar, at least 17 people have now died due to Tropical Cyclone Freddy (7 from the first landfall on 21 February and 10 from the latest rains on 5 and 6 March), three are missing and nearly 299,000 people have affected (226,000 in the south east, and over 72,600 in the south-west). Following Freddy’s pass-by the south-west of the country on 5 and 6 March, localized floods are visible in Morombe city and its three surrounding municipalities, as well as Toliara city, where schools and other administrative buildings are still flooded, according to the findings of an aerial assessment. However, the impact of the storm was less than expected and there is almost no visible wind damage in the villages along the western coast between Morombe and Toliara and less than 5 per cent damage has been reported in the agricultural sector following rapid removal of water on crop fields and rice fields.