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A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the crisis
Tropical Cyclone Idai, a Category 4 storm, made landfall during the night above Beira, Mozambique on 14 March 2019 causing massive damage due to high winds of more than 195km/h. The cyclone continued inland affecting Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Cyclone Idai has since been labeled the deadliest cyclone in southern Africa, and the following landfall of Tropical Cyclone Kenneth just 6 weeks later in northern Mozambique made a record as the first time Mozambique had felt the impact of two severe storms in the same cyclone season. The impacts of climate change increase the frequency and intensity of these storms, leading Mozambique to be ranked 1st out of 180 countries in the Global Climate Risk Index for 20191 and WFP reports it as the 38th most vulnerable and 13th least prepared country for climate change.
The winds and flooding from the storm caused the displacement of 19,660 households or 95,388 people, with 81% of the displaced population in Sofala and Manica Provinces. Half of the population affected were children. The displacement of a great bulk of people was for 6 weeks, double the normal displacement period of cyclone season. An estimated 715,000 hectares of crops were destroyed, increasing the food insecurity situation as most people lost everything in the storm. The official death toll from the storm was listed as 598, with 1,600 injuries, although it is likely the total number was higher as many rural areas were affected.
The flooding increased the number of waterborne illnesses. There were an estimated 2,500 cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) in the Beira district and 5 cholera cases registered on 27 March in Munhava. As of 1 April, there were 1,052 cases with 959 of them in Beira City. The lack of clean water highly increased the number of infections. In total there were 6,766 registered cases of cholera because of Idai. The Ministry of Health, World Health Organization, and humanitarian partners launched a cholera oral vaccine campaign reaching 800,000 people in response.
Cyclone Idai had a dire impact on women and girls and aggravated the risk of gender-based violence due to the exploitation of chronic and acute poverty and greater exposure in their communities. The recovery burden was particularly difficult for female-headed households, who are both the income providers and caregivers. Without access to possessions, livelihoods, and marginalization, there was a significant possibility of the feminization of poverty in a country that before the cyclone had only 46% of girls finish primary school, 56% of women illiterate (70% in rural communities) and early marriages affecting one in every two girls, with high levels of teenage pregnancy.
Cyclone Kenneth hit northern Mozambique on 25 April 2019 affecting nearly 200,000 people. It was the first time in recorded history that two strong tropical cyclones had hit the country in the same season.
Four months after the cyclone, more than 400 organizations were participating in the humanitarian response to reach 1.8 million people in central Mozambique out of an estimated 1.85 million in need10. One year after the storm, UNICEF estimated that 2.5 million people were still in need of assistance. Severe flooding during the 2019/20 rainy season affected central Mozambique, with many of the same families facing hunger due to the destruction of their crops. January 2020 saw an increase in cholera cases in the northern provinces, with an outbreak in Nampula and Cabo Delgado Provinces. In total there were 1,000 cases and 17 deaths from the outbreak.
On 4 April 2020 the Mozambican government took the first preventative measures for COVID-19, with the first case confirmed in late March 2020. The first wave, around September 2020 had a peak of 300 cases a day. The second wave started after the holiday season in January 2021 and continued through April 2021, with a peak of approximately 1,275 daily cases. The third and most severe wave to date started at the end of June 2021 and until early October with a peak of nearly 2,460 cases daily12. The pandemic had additional economic impacts as businesses, markets, and schools were repeatedly closed. The number of people at gatherings was restricted, limited to 20 people for most of 2020, and offices were required to rotate their staff and prioritize working from home, which had an impact on the project implementation with many activities being put on pause to protect the health and wellbeing of staff, volunteers, and communities in need.
A revised Emergency Appeal was approved and published in September 2020, which resulted in a timeframe extension for four months to October 2021 to cover the time lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic and fulfill the recovery commitments towards the population of concern.
The following year’s cyclone season, 2020/21, brought 2 notable storms to Mozambique, and both impacted the same central region as Idai. Tropical Storm Chalane made landfall during the night on 30 December 2020 with winds at 60 knots (111 km/h)13 Muanza, Nhamatanda, Dondo, and Búzi Districts in Sofala Province were the first to be impacted, and the following winds and flooding additionally affected Manica, Zambezia, and Inhambane Provinces.
One month later, on 23rd January 2021, Tropical Cyclone Eloise hit central Mozambique. It was a category 2 storm with winds of 140km/h and wind gusts of over 160km/h. One of the main differences between Eloise and previous cyclones in the region was the high level of rainfall during and after the storm, 250mm in 24 hours. As parts of Sofala Province were already flooded, namely Nhamatanda and Búzi Districts, the floods from this additional rainfall led to an increase in internally displaced people.