Southern Africa - Tropical Cyclones - Fact Sheet #12 FY2019

May 16, 2019

Highlights

• The first airlifts of supplemental USAID-funded relief supplies for the Tropical Cyclone Kenneth response arrive in Mozambique
• USAID announces more than $5.8 million in additional support to respond to tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique
• GRM reduces nationwide alert level from red to orange as humanitarian conditions improve across Mozambique

Key Developments

The Government of the Republic of Mozambique (GRM) reported that the official count for Tropical Cyclone Kenneth-related deaths remained at 45 people as of May 12. In addition, the GRM reports the number of people in need of assistance from Tropical Cyclone Kenneth has increased to nearly 286,300 people as humanitarian agencies access additional populations affected by the storm. However, humanitarian access remains a challenge in areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth, with many areas remaining inaccessible by road and requiring access via air or river transport.

On May 15, the GRM reduced the nationwide alert level from red—the highest level—to orange, signifying the humanitarian situation is improving in areas affected by tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth. In addition, relief actors continue to transition from response to early recovery programming in areas impacted by Tropical Cyclone Idai. The GRM reported that the official count for Tropical Cyclone Idai and flood-related deaths in Mozambique remained at 603 people as of May 7.

Relief actors in Cabo Delgado Province, where Tropical Cyclone Kenneth made landfall, and Sofala Province, where Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall, continue to work with the GRM to ensure that all returns and relocations of displaced individuals affected by the tropical cyclones are dignified, safe, and voluntary. The GRM reported that approximately 3,100 individuals affected by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth were sheltering in accommodation centers in Cabo Delgado as of May 12 and approximately 16,700 individuals affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai were sheltering in accommodation centers in Sofala as of May 10.

Humanitarian agencies in Mozambique continue to monitor and respond to health challenges—including the spread of vector-borne and waterborne diseases—in areas impacted by tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth. On May 8, the GRM reported that the cholera outbreak in Cabo Delgado had spread to the province’s Metuge district. Health actors have recorded nearly 180 suspected cases in Cabo Delgado since May 1 and 6,750 suspected cases in Sofala since March 26.

MOZAMBIQUE

Current Situation

As of May 12, the number of Tropical Cyclone Kenneth-related casualties in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces remained at 45 deaths and approximately 94 injuries, according to the GRM.

The GRM reported that nearly 286,300 people required assistance due to Tropical Cyclone Kenneth as of May 13. A May 9 aerial assessment conducted by the UN in Cabo Delgado observed receding water levels in affected areas but significant agricultural crop damage; the UN estimated that Tropical Cyclone Kenneth had destroyed or damaged at least 136,800 acres of crops as of May 12. Additionally, the UN reported that damage and destruction to roads, water and sanitation facilities, and other infrastructure continues to constrain humanitarian access and disrupt electrical power and safe drinking water supply in some locations.

Approximately 3,100 people were sheltering in eight accommodation centers in Cabo Delgado and Nampula as of May 12, representing a decrease from approximately 3,500 people sheltering in 11 accommodation centers on May 9, the UN reports. The number of displaced people sheltering in accommodation centers in Cabo Delgado and Nampula has decreased from more than 23,800 people on April 29 due to individuals returning to areas of origin and the GRM relocating individuals sheltering in classrooms to ensure that students could resume school, according to the UN. In Sofala, the number of displaced individuals sheltering in accommodation centers decreased from 21,400 people sheltering in 17 sites to 16,700 people sheltering in 14 sites between May 5 and 10, as populations returned to areas of origin or relocated to GRM-designated resettlement sites.

On May 15, the GRM reduced the nationwide alert level from red to orange as humanitarian conditions continue to improve in areas impacted by tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth.

Humanitarian Response and Gaps

Relief actors in Cabo Delgado and Sofala continue to work with the GRM to ensure that all returns and relocations of individuals affected by tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth are dignified, safe, and voluntary. In both provinces, humanitarian organizations have observed a lack of access to health care infrastructure, safe drinking water supply, sanitation facilities, and schools, as well as insufficient shelter materials, in many resettlement sites. The UN and other relief organizations continue to advocate that the GRM increase coordination and planning to ensure adequate conditions exist before relocating displaced individuals.

Relief actors remain concerned by the impact of tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth on food security and livelihoods, due to the destruction of staple and cash crops and expected increase in food assistance needs in the coming months. According to a mid-April assessment conducted by the GRM and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), populations in Manica, Sofala, and Zambézia provinces affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai will likely require food assistance until the main harvest season in 2020.

Humanitarian access remains a challenge in areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth, with many areas remaining accessible only via air or river transport. USAID partner the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working with other relief organizations to distribute water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) supplies to coastal areas affected by the storm, however UNICEF reports urgent WASH needs in areas of Metuge that remain inaccessible by road.

Health actors have expressed concern regarding lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care in areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth following the destruction of nearly 20 health units during the storm. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that 7,000 pregnant women are at risk of unsafe childbirth due to insufficient access to reproductive health care services. UNFPA is distributing sexual and reproductive health kits to health care facilities in the area to help address the service gap.

On May 8, the GRM reported the first confirmed case of cholera in Metuge; health actors have recorded nearly 180 suspected cases in Cabo Delgado’s Mecufi and Metuge districts and Pemba city since May 1. To prevent further spread of the disease, the GRM established cholera treatment centers in Mecufi, Metuge, and Pemba, and commenced a two-part cholera vaccination campaign in Cabo Delgado on May 16; more than 516,000 doses of cholera vaccine arrived in Pemba on May 12, enabling health agencies to target more than 250,000 people through the campaign. Meanwhile, the number of new cholera cases in Sofala continues to decline; health actors have recorded 6,750 suspected cholera cases—including eight cholera-related deaths—in the province since March 26.

USG Response and Assessments

The first four airlifts of additional USAID-procured relief supplies to support the Tropical Cyclone Kenneth response arrived in Pemba from May 11–15. The shipments will supplement relief supplies that USAID partners pre-positioned in Cabo Delgado prior to the storm’s landfall. Before the arrival of the first shipment, USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members traveled to Pemba to help coordinate the airlift and distribution of supplies to USAID partners. The shipments included 500 shelter kits and 780 rolls of plastic sheeting, sufficient for 7,800 households to build temporary shelters; USAID partner the International Organization for Migration (IOM) plans to distribute the shelter supplies to help individuals affected by the storm create temporary shelters and repair damaged homes.

As of May 12, USAID partner the UN World Food Program (WFP) had distributed emergency food and nutrition assistance to more than 1.5 million people affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai in Manica, Sofala, Tete, and Zambézia provinces and approximately 125,000 people affected by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth in Cabo Delgado. WFP recently discontinued the use of helicopters to airlift relief commodities to Sofala’s Beira city due to improved road access. However, WFP plans to continue delivering food and relief supplies via helicopter to populations affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai in hard-to-reach areas through the end of May. Additionally, the UN agency plans to start delivering additional emergency food supplies sufficient for one month to populations affected by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth in mid-May.

USAID recently provided an additional $2 million to IOM to provide protection and shelter assistance to populations affected by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth in Cabo Delgado. The funding will enable IOM to procure and distribute shelter supplies to affected populations to help repair and rebuild homes, as well as ensure that affected populations have access to protection and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse services. Additionally, IOM will work with GRM to conduct displacement tracking assessments to inform humanitarian needs in affected areas.

USAID recently announced nearly $1.5 million in funding for FAO to provide emergency agriculture and food security assistance to farmers, fisher folk, and livestock owners affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai in Manica and Sofala. With the funding, FAO plans to provide 30,000 farmers with agricultural tools and seed to increase crop production, 20,000 livestock owners with training and animal health interventions—including vaccinations—to prevent livestock disease, and thousands of fisher folk with equipment to resume sustainable fishing practices following the storm.

ZIMBABWE

Current Situation

Schools across Zimbabwe, including those being used as collective shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs), reopened on May 7 following the March–May holiday. Prior to the reopening, relief actors relocated nearly 80 IDP households sheltering in schools in Manicaland Province’s Chimanimani District to temporary displacement sites prepared by Government of Zimbabwe authorities, the UN reports. Needs assessments and home rebuilding and repair plans for IDPs in Chimanimani are underway, and priority is being given to vulnerable children, woman-headed households, and older people. As of May 6, more than 20 collective centers remained in use in Manicaland and Masvingo provinces, and IOM estimated that nearly 51,000 IDPs remained displaced in areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai as of April 27.

As schools reopened, relief actors distributed approximately 40,000 textbooks to affected students in Manicaland’s Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, the worst-affected districts in Zimbabwe. Humanitarian organizations also established nearly 20 temporary learning spaces in schools with destroyed infrastructure and constructed temporary latrines in approximately 80 percent of affected schools.

Relief actors operating in areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai screened approximately 20,000 children ages five years and younger for acute malnutrition in April, referring approximately 170 children experiencing moderate acute malnutrition and nearly 100 children experiencing severe acute malnutrition for treatment, according to the UN. Additionally, relief actors had reached more than 14,000 mothers and guardians with counseling on infant and young child feeding practices as of May 6.

On May 3, the World Bank announced plans to increase support for countries affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai, including up to $75 million for response efforts in Zimbabwe through UN agencies. The funds will support multi-sector livelihoods programming, expected to commence in late 2019, according to the World Bank.

MALAWI

Current Situation

Nearly 732,000 people in 15 cyclone-affected districts of Malawi required emergency food assistance as of April 30, according to WFP. The UN agency had reached more than 413,000 people with emergency food and cash assistance as of April 30, distributing more than 4,200 metric tons of emergency food assistance; WFP plans to transition to providing solely cash-based assistance in the coming weeks.

As part of the World Bank’s plans to provide additional support for countries affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai, the organization announced the provision of approximately $120 million to support response efforts in Malawi. Priority funding areas will include disease surveillance, reconstruction of priority infrastructure, and restoration of agricultural livelihoods, the World Bank reports.

COMOROS

Current Situation

In response to the USG disaster declaration for the impact of Tropical Cyclone Kenneth in the Union of Comoros issued by U.S. Ambassador to Comoros and Madagascar Michael P. Pelletier on May 8, USAID/OFDA provided $100,000 to the French Red Cross delegation for the procurement, transport, and distribution of shelter and hygiene materials to affected populations.

As of May 8, nearly 186,000 people in the Union of Comoros reportedly require humanitarian assistance following Tropical Cyclone Kenneth, including more than 19,000 IDPs, according to the UN. Six health facilities in the country, including El-Maarouf National Hospital Center (EMNHC) in Comoros’s capital city of Moroni, were impacted by the storm, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reports. On May 7, WHO donated more than $20,000 worth of trauma kits to EMNHC; the organization reportedly plans to provide more than $50,000 in additional equipment, medical supplies, and medicines to health institutions in Comoros.

CONTEXT

Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall over Mozambique’s city of Beira on March 15, producing torrential rains and strong winds and severely affecting Manica, Sofala, Tete, and Zambézia provinces. The cyclone also caused significant flooding, damage and destruction of property and infrastructure, and resulted in numerous deaths in southern Malawi’s Chichawa, Nsanje, Phalombe, and Zomba districts and Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province. The same weather system had previously brought heavy rains that caused significant flooding in Malawi and Mozambique in early March, before gaining strength in the Mozambique Channel and evolving into a tropical cyclone.

On March 10, U.S. Ambassador to Malawi Virginia E. Palmer declared a disaster due to the effects of floods in Malawi. In response USAID/OFDA provided an initial $200,000 to CARE and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). On March 15, U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique Dennis W. Hearne declared a disaster due to the effects of floods in the country. Ambassador Hearne declared a second disaster on March 19 due to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. In response, USAID/OFDA provided $200,000 to CARE to procure emergency relief commodities and support shelter and WASH interventions. USAID/OFDA also provided $200,000 to World Vision to respond to immediate WASH and shelter needs. On March 18, U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian A. Nichols declared a disaster due to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Idai. In response USAID/OFDA provided an initial $100,000 to GOAL to procure emergency relief commodities and support shelter and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions.

On March 20, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to lead the USG response to Tropical Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. USAID also activated a Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Team (RMT) to support the DART. The DART and RMT are responding to the situation in coordination with other USG counterparts, GRM representatives, and humanitarian partners.

On April 25, Tropical Cyclone Kenneth made landfall over Mozambique’s Quissanga district, with winds estimated at 140 miles per hour and producing torrential rains in the province. On April 26, Ambassador Hearne declared a disaster due to the effects of Tropical Cyclone Kenneth in Mozambique. In response, the DART in Mozambique is conducting assessments and coordinating response activities with relief partners and other humanitarian agencies.

Prior to reaching Mozambique, Tropical Cyclone Kenneth had passed north of the Union of Comoros’ Grande Comore Island on April 25, producing strong winds and torrential rains in the country. On May 8, Ambassador Pelletier declared a disaster in the Union of Comoros due to the effects of the cyclone. In response, USAID/OFDA staff is coordinating with relief partners and other humanitarian agencies to identify response options.