Real-time evaluation Mozambique: tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth

Mozambique was hit by two tropical cyclones in early 2019, ‘Idai’ (landfall on 15 March in the port city of Beira / Sofala province, striking central provinces of the country) and ‘Kenneth’ (landfall on 25 April in Cabo Delgado, a Northern province already affected by armed violence). The cyclones caused significant damage to infrastructure and affected a total of about 1.7 million people (displacing 140,000 people), with at least 650 lives lost. More than 750,000 hectares of standing crops were destroyed. A cholera outbreak exacerbated the situation in the aftermath of the cyclones.

The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement took early action: Mozambique Red Cross (Cruz Vermelha de Moçambique, CVM) started activities ahead of landfall, supported by the three in-country Partner National Societies (PNSs). The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), launched a major response operation, complementing CVM’s severely limited capacities.

The emergency operation is considered to be an overall success, with the right profiles in place at the right time shaping and implementing the response. Going forward, Movement activities in the cyclone operation and efforts for CVM’s own recovery need to be aligned, resulting in one masterplan. There is a risk of leaving CVM behind as fragile as before, if the Movement fails to unify approaches and plans in support of the National Society (NS).