Cyclone Idai: Red alert declared in central Mozambique

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Cyclone Idai: Red alert declared in central Mozambique

6:25 CAT | 12 Mar 2019

Photo: Twitter / @wfp_mozambique

The Mozambican government on Monday declared a red alert for the central provinces of Sofala, Manica, Zambezia, and Tete due to the flooding and damage caused by heavy rains over recent days and the imminent arrival of a tropical cyclone.

The decision was taken in Maputo by the Coordinating Council of the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC). According to the Minister of State Administration, Carmelita Namashulua, the red alert will trigger emergency measures to move people living in at-risk areas and the mobilisation of 18 million dollars for humanitarian relief operations. In particular, community leaders, and district and local authorities have been called on to intensify measures to move people away from flood-prone areas and seek higher ground.

Namashulua added that the alert activates the regional Emergency Operational Centres (COEs) and stressed the urgent need for the country’s cooperation partners to contribute both financial and material resources for the accommodation centres for those who have moved from danger zones. She pointed out that “we need more shelters, water, sanitation equipment, hygiene kits, and food supplies”.

Le cyclone tropical #Idai, qui devrait se ré-intensifier après un affaiblissement relatif et temporaire devrait impacter le #Mozambique entre jeudi et vendredi dans le secteur de la baie de Sofala. Illustration avec les données du modèle HWRF. pic.twitter.com/n70IF1uS4f

— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) March 12, 2019

The minister revealed that donors have expressed their willingness to respond to the emergency and noted that support has already been received from the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Tropical storm Idai is still intensifying off the western coast of Madagascar and is due to hit the central city of Beira on Friday as a powerful tropical cyclone. According to projections from the Tropical Cyclone Monitoring Centre, Idai could hit Sofala province with winds of between 180 and 220 kilometres per hour and dump over 150 millimetres of rain in 24 hours.

According to official data, extreme weather events in Mozambique during the current rainy season – heavy rain and strong winds, flooding, drought, thunderstorms, and cyclone Desmond – have so far affected 138,285 people, with 111 people injured, and 14,712 houses damaged (of which 5,125 were destroyed). In addition, 18 health units and 938 classrooms were damaged affecting 47,026 students. In total, 66 weather-related deaths have been recorded with the most common cause of death being from lightning strikes.

Technology can and does help #savinglives.#INGC is responding to #MozambiqueFloods2019 with @CopernicusEMS help and @eu_echo-funded drones. pic.twitter.com/0xekwJulTh

— WFP Mozambique (@wfp_mozambique) March 11, 2019

#Mozambique #Flooding at Rio Lualua in Derre (zambezia) pic.twitter.com/ngt3YSyzCY

— Marc Nosbach (@NosbachMarc) March 8, 2019

#CARE #Mozambique #Flooding #Cyclone Eighteen. Storm already caused flooding in Mozambique and Malawi. 32,222 people affected , 4,242 people are displaced and 7 death in Zambezia and Tete provinces. Still worst to come for coastal regions as storms develops into cyclone. pic.twitter.com/FHTKKGG65c

— Marc Nosbach (@NosbachMarc) March 10, 2019

Source: AIM