Beira/Nairobi/Geneva, 19 March 2019 — With reports that at least 400,000 people have been made homeless in central Mozambique, the world’s largest humanitarian network is warning that the full extent of the “humanitarian catastrophe” caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai may take days to become clear. Jamie LeSueur, who is leading response efforts in Beira for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said: “This is the worst humanitarian crisis in Mozambique’s recent history. It is a humanitarian catastrophe for the people of Central Mozambique. Large parts of Beira have been damaged, entire villages and towns have been completely flooded. Rescuers are scrambling to pull people trapped on rooftops and in trees to safety. Many, many families have lost everything,” LeSueur said. Large areas to the west of Beira have been severely flooded. In some areas close to the Buzi and Pungwe rivers, flood water are metres deep and have completely covered homes, telephone poles and trees. Jamie LeSueur said: “The scale of suffering and loss is still not clear, and we expect that the number of people affected as well as the number of people who have lost their lives may rise.” IFRC and Mozambique Red Cross have today launched a 10 million Swiss franc emergency appeal to support about 75,000 of the worst affected people in central Mozambique. The appeal prioritizes shelter, and water and sanitation. Red Cross teams in Beira are today (19 March) distributing shelter supplies to affected families in Beira. Additional supplies for at least 3,000 families are being brought in by ship from the French Red Cross’ Indian Ocean Regional intervention Platform (PIROI in French) on Réunion Island. Red Cross volunteers in Beira are also handing out chlorine so that people can purify water. Aid workers are worried about the health risks in the wake of the cyclone, said LeSueur: “Waterborne diseases can increase in the aftermath of a disaster such as this due to the contamination of the water supply and disruption of usual water treatment. Outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis, hepatitis, cholera and other diseases could follow as a result,” LeSueur said. Malaria is endemic in Mozambique, peaking during the December to April rainy season. The extensive flooding could result in stagnant water that could become perfect breeding sites for mosquitoes. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is also present in the affected area. The ICRC has launched its Restoring Family Links activities to assist families separated by the cyclone to reconnect or register their ones as missing. It also deployed a forensics specialist to help manage the dead in a dignified way and donated fuel to Beira Central Hospital to ensure the critical health facility in the province continues to have power. Note: Amendment to Mr LeSueur's quote in third paragraph: "... Mozambique's history..." to "...Mozambique's recent history..."

Beira/Nairobi/Geneva, 18 March 2019 — The scale of damage caused by cyclone Idai that hit the Mozambican city of Beira is massive and horrifying. This is the initial assessment of a team of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) aid workers that reached the devastated city yesterday. Jamie LeSueur, who is leading the IFRC assessment team into Beira, said the following after taking part in a Red Cross aerial assessment: “The situation is terrible. The scale of devastation is enormous. It seems that 90 per cent of the area is completely destroyed.” The IFRC team that arrived yesterday was among the first to arrive in Beira since Idai made landfall on 14/15 March. With Beira’s airport closed, the team drove from the capital Maputo before taking a helicopter for the last part of the journey. Roads into Beira have been cut off by flooding. While the physical impact of Idai is beginning to emerge, the human impact is unclear. “Almost everything is destroyed. Communication lines have been completely cut and roads have been destroyed. Some affected communities are not accessible,” said LeSueur. “Beira has been severely battered. But we are also hearing that the situation outside the city could be even worse. Yesterday, a large dam burst and cut off the last road to the city.” Following its landfall in Mozambique Cyclone Idai continued west to Zimbabwe as a Tropical Storm, wreaking havoc in several districts in the eastern part of the country, with Chimanimani and Chipinge districts in Manicaland Province being the hardest-hit. At least 31 deaths have been reported and over 100 people are missing in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is the latest country in Southern Africa to be hit by heavy rains and violent winds, after Malawi and Mozambique. The death toll in the three countries is currently estimated at 150. But this number is likely to change as the full extent of the damage becomes clear. More heavy rain is also anticipated and this may lead to further devastation. IFRC has already released about 340,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund which will go towards an initial response effort for about 7,500 people. However, given the scale of the disaster, more resources may be needed to support Mozambique Red Cross efforts on the ground. Already, the team in Beira has identified shelter, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene as priorities.

Maputo/Nairobi/Geneva, 16 March 2019 – First reports from the central Mozambican city of Beira suggest that Tropical Cyclone Idai destroyed and damaged homes and knocked out electricity and communications. However, the full impact of the storm is still emerging. A team of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) aid workers is making its way to the city to assess damage and help establish a response operation. With flights to Beira not operating, the team is making the journey by road. Jamie LeSueur, Head of Emergency Operations for IFRC, is leading the team. He said: “The extent of the destruction remains unclear, but first-hand information provided by our local colleagues indicate that many parts of Beira have been seriously damaged. Houses have been destroyed, trees and electric poles have fallen. Electricity and communications have been cut.” Beira is Mozambique’s fourth largest city and is home to about 500,000 people. Information on the number of casualties, injuries or people made homeless is not yet available. Earlier estimates by the UN put over 600,000 people are at risk of exposure to the tropical cyclone winds categorized at causing wide-spread damage or even worse. While the situation in Mozambique is still unclear, reports from neighbouring Zimbabwe suggest that at least 24 people were killed and about 40 others are missing as a result of the storm. Zimbabwe Red Cross Society has deployed its volunteers to support affected communities in both Chipinge and Chimanimani. This cyclone follows a week of heavy rains and flooding across southeast Africa that has already killed at least 126 people in Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa. More than a million people have been affected in all. In Mozambique, the floods have already affected 117,000 people with more than 17,000 displaced. In neighbouring Malawi, nearly one million people have been affected including more than 80,000 who are without shelter. Both countries are prone to extreme weather events. Earlier this week, IFRC released more than 340,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to support local Red Cross early warning and early action, and to prepare to support 7,500 people in the aftermath of the storm.

Nairobi/Geneva, 14 March 2019 — With Tropical Cyclone Idai expected to make landfall in central Mozambique in about 12 hours, aid workers are warning that it could cause extensive damage and displace tens of thousands of people. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has just released more than 340,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to fund local preparedness efforts and to prepare to support 7,500 people in the aftermath of the storm. Jamie LeSeuer, Head of Emergency Operations for IFRC, is in Mozambique overseeing emergency preparedness efforts. He said: “Heavy rains have already displaced hundreds of people in provinces such as Zambesia and Tete. Many families urgently need temporary shelters, especially those whose houses have been completely or partly destroyed. We worry that the fast-approaching tropical cyclone will result in further devastation. “Our teams are on high alert and are in communities warning them of the approaching storm. They will also be crucial for any response efforts that are needed once Idai has passed.” In Tete and Zambesia, Mozambique Red Cross has mobilized more than 200 volunteers to share early warning information to at-risk communities. They are also providing rescue services to flood-affected people. In addition to the urgent need of emergency shelters, families whose houses have been completely destroyed will require emergency relief items, including blankets, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, and mosquito nets to ensure that their immediate needs are met. There are also concerns about the long-term effects of the ongoing floods, as well as the imminent cyclone, in terms food security. Over 80,300 hectares of crops in Zambesia and Tete have been ravaged by the ongoing floods. This has severely affected the livelihoods of more than 50,000 families reliant on agriculture. The situation could get worse after tropical cyclone Idai makes landfall.

Nairobi/Geneva, 12 March 2019 —Mozambique is on high alert as Tropical Cyclone Idai barrels towards the country’s central coast. Red Cross disaster response teams in Zambesia and Sofala provinces are readying response plans in anticipation of the cyclone’s landfall towards the end of the week. Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, Regional Director for Africa for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said: “This dangerous and powerful cyclone could pose an extreme risk to tens of thousands of people in Mozambique. Our teams are on high alert in anticipation of a potentially destructive landfall. “We encourage people in Mozambique to remain alert, to keep following weather forecasts, and to respond immediately to any warning messages that are relayed by authorities”. According to meteorologists, Idai’s intensity is equal to that of a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane. However, at its peak intensity, it may reach the equivalent of a Category 4 or even a Category 5 hurricane. Depending on its intensity and trajectory, Cyclone Idai could also exacerbate the situation in southern Malawi where more than 115,000 people have been affected by severe flooding. In Malawi, Red Cross search and rescue teams are ferrying people trapped by the rising water to safety, as well as distributing basic relief items in six of the worst-affected districts. Mozambique is regularly hit by cyclones. In February 2007, Cyclone Favio damaged or destroyed 130,000 homes and displaced tens of thousands of people. In 2000, Cyclone Eline hit an already flood-affected central Mozambique, leaving about 463,000 people homeless. Together, the floods and the cyclone killed about 700 people.