Mozambique Flooding March 2019

18.03.2019

Humanity Road activated on Thursday to monitor the impacts of cyclone Idai on Mozambique. We are providing the below report compiled through social media monitoring and official reports.

Humanity Road Situation Report #2 – 21 Mar 2019

Beira City remains cut-off from surrounding areas, with the N6 national road between Tica and Nhamatanda (85 kilometres from Beira) now impassable. Parts of Beira Port – including the grain terminal, warehouses and coal terminal – sustained damage. However, the container terminal and oil terminal did not sustain any major damage, according to preliminary reports. Several vessels ran aground near the Port and salvage operations are underway to clear the area. source

Translators without Borders @TranslatorsWB is supporting Humanity Road with translation services for Mozambique situation reporting.


Download PDF versions here

  • Cyclone Idai Situation Report #1 March 19 20193_pt-MZ.pdf
  • Cyclone Idai Situation Report #1 March 19 2019.pdf
  • Cyclone Idai Situation Report #2 March 21 2019.pdf

Situation Overview

Tropical Cyclone Idai has dissipated after making landfall over Mozambique as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. At least 146 people were killed from flooding caused by the storm, including 66 in Mozambique, 56 in Malawi, and 24 in Zimbabwe. Various homes, schools, businesses, hospitals, and police stations were damaged, and thousands were forced to leave for higher ground. The cyclone reportedly impacted over 1.5 million people across the countries. There were also reports of power cuts. Flights throughout the region were disrupted during the storm. Ongoing flood-related impacts are being covered in separate Severe Flooding incidents for Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The government has confirmed 66 dead and the President has indicated the count could rise to 1,000.

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Significant Updates

Below is a summary of current conditions and significant updates. The National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) has set up its Center of Operations for Beira in a WFP-provided Wikhall at the airport. Members of the humanitarian community that are present in Beira are asked to participate at this meeting, with coordination currently being facilitated by WFP and COSACA.

For teams arriving in Maputo, please proceed to OCHA daily briefing at 1100h, UNDP Meeting room before departing to the fields (-25.956251,32.594254) For all those arriving into Maputo, OCHA will be arranging daily briefings at 1100hrs at the UNDP office to update on the situation, response and gaps, with latest information from the field. source

21 MAR

● Rain is still falling in Malawi and Zimbabwe which should have an effect on Mozambique as dams might have to be opened. source

● Tips for staff going to Beira. Given the current shortage of accommodations and general situation on the ground and based on the field staff recommendations, we recommend all staff deploying to bring with them: source

  • Water purification tablets
  • Sleeping bags (possibly small mattress) to sleep on the floor Local currency (dollars are no accepted in Beira)
  • Power banks charger for phones

● USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response team to Mozambique source

● Maputo based organisations are launching aid such as :

● Mozambique had its first days of three days of mourning. source

● Death toll rose to 217 and around 15,000 people are in need of rescue, Minister of Land and Environment Celso Correia said. source

● The police had to intervene as confusion arose in a private warehouse offering food and shelter in Beira. Gunshots were fired. People are claiming food supplies are not arriving in schools and other official shelter. source

20 MAR

● IsraAID will offer psychological support to communities as well as relief supplies and restore access to water supplies source

● Assistance is slow due to rain and air assistance is the only means available. source

● Red Cross set up a web ledger to register people alive or gone missing. source

● India is sending three army boats of food, water and medical supplies as well as sending 50 nurses and 200 staff to assist the affected population. source

● Tanzania Government dispatched 238 tonnes of food and medicine. source

● Governments are pledging funds in emergency aid in response to urgent needs in the region (source)

  • UK, $7.9m
  • UAE, $4.9m
  • EU, $3.9m
  • Norway, $0,7m

● The Episcopal Relief & Development stated they will be coordinating with the Anglican dioceses of Niassa and Lebombo in Mozambique to respond to IDAI. source

● Rescue South Africa deployed IPSS Medical Rescue (IPSS) and its partners South Africa Air Force (SAAS) to rescue 167 people in Beira. source

● Direct Relief is preparing an emergency shipment of emergency medicine, medical supplies and hygiene items to Zambezia Provincial Health Department. source

● Red Cross Mozambique are distributing shelter supplies and chlorine to purify water. source

● WFP is rushing food & other assistance to Mozambique with an immediate goal to reach 500,000 impacted people with food. source

● MSF reports that nearly all of the city of Beira is destroyed. Biggest problem for MSF teams is access.source

● Save The Children reports from Maputo on difficulty of aid distribution with roads washed away and shortage of dry storage locations source

● Americares is sending hygiene kits to Mozambique. source

● Swiss Red Cross is sending a team of seven logisticians for the coordination of the Red Cross relief items and material. source

● The Secretary of State of Portuguese communities, José Luís Carneiro, announced that around 30 portuguese citizens have disappeared in the Beira city during the Idai cyclone. source

19 MAR

● International Red Cross (IFRC) reports that at 400,000 people or more 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. source

● UN Geneva reports 1.7 million in Mozambique were in path of cyclone, and estimates 1,000 or more may have died. Assessments are required. The World Health Organization (WHO) is positioning health kits, trauma kits, cholera kits source

● UNOCHA reports 202 people have died and death toll likely to rise source

● Victims are reportedly trapped on roofs and clinging to trees awaiting rescue, UN agencies said, while across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, tens of thousands of people have lost their homes, while roads, bridges and crops have been washed away. UNOCHA

● UN Children’s Fund @UNICEF reported that 260,000 children have been affected UNOCHA

18 MAR

● UNOCHA Flash #4 reports that the Beira Central Hospital emergency wing remains non-operational due to significant damage. However, other parts of the hospital – including the paediatric wing – have sustained less damage and are reportedly functioning source

● IFRC reports that Beira 90% damaged – situation outside the city could be even worse. Yesterday, a large dam burst and cut off the last road to the city.” source

● IFRC reports our current priorities shelter, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene source

17 MAR

● Villages in Chiluvo, Nhamatanda, Sofala, – swallowed by mud and water source

● Outside of Beira a dam collapsed causing extensive damage cutting off the main access to the city. The damage can involve Chicamba dam above Chimoio, north-west of Beira, or perhaps the Mavuzi dam source

15 MAR

● WFP reports City of Beira with no power and no communications source

● Via UNOCHA Preliminary information indicates that destruction and interruption of services are highly likely, including:

● Damage to schools and health facilities, including materials and supplies

● Damages to crops, including about 168,000 hectares of crops already impacted by flooding in early March, which will undermine food security and nutrition, including amongst the most vulnerable people already affected by the earlier floods and drought

● Water supply destruction and interruption due to heavy winds and floods

● Heightened risk of water borne diseases due to damage to sanitation facilities and prevalence of unsafe water

● Destruction of houses and loss of non-food items

● Heightened protection risks, particularly for women and children, including increased risk of gender-based violence and possible displacement.

Links and Social Media

Government, National and Local Links

● Website http://www.portaldogoverno.gov.mz/

● Twitter https://twitter.com/govdigitalmz

National Weather Service (INAM)

● Website http://www.inam.gov.mz/index.php/en/

Ministry of Health

● Website http://www.misau.gov.mz/

● Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ministerio.dasaude

National Institute for Disaster Management

● Website http://www.ingc.gov.mz/

Mozambique Red Cross

● Address: Avenida Agostinho Neto, 284 Maputo, Caixa Postal 2986 Maputo

● Contact Information: Tel: (258) 82 3012251/2 Fax: (258) (21) 497 725

Telex: 6-169 CV MO Email: cvm@redcross.org.mz

Website: http://www.redcross.org.mz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cruzvermelhademocambique1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CruzVermelhaMOZ

Humanity Road

● Website: https://humanityroad.org

● Twitter: https://twitter.com/humanityroad

● Facebook https://www.facebook.com/humanityroad

Copernicus Emergency Rapid Mapping

● Website: https://emergency.copernicus.eu/mapping/list-of-components/EMSR348

Restoring Family Links

● Website: https://familylinks.icrc.org/cyclone-idai/

Hashtags

#CycloneIdai #Idai #Mozambique #Moçambique #IdaiCyclone #Beira

Communicating with affected population

Translators without Borders: “Over 40 languages are spoken in Mozambique alone. Only half the population can speak Portuguese, the official language. Portuguese comprehension rates are particularly low in rural areas and among women. Other languages spoken in the most affected areas include Sena, Lomwe, Xitshwa, and Ndau.” Map

Emergency Numbers, Shelters and schools

Emergency Numbers

Mozambique Emergency Numbers

Police – 112, 119 or + 258 21 325031

Fire Services – 198 or +258 21 322222

http://www.easyexpat.com/en/guides/mozambique/maputo/services/emergency.htm

Shelters and Evacuation Centers

Shelter Cluster https://www.sheltercluster.org/response/mozambique-tropical-cyclone-idai-2019

Logistics Cluster https://logcluster.org/

20 MAR

● The Regional Platform for Intervention in the Indian Ocean (PIROI) is sending 3 000 kits for habitat reconstruction and 6 000 tarpaulin sheets from its warehouse based in La Réunion which will arrive to Mozambique by sea (within 6-8 days). source

19 MAR

● International Red Cross (IFRC) reports that at 400,000 people or more 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. source

● Coordination meetings are being held at Biero Airport as well as Chimoio, led by INGC, to support operations in surrounding areas and a coordination meeting was held on 18 March to discuss critical issues. Coordination is also active in Quelimane in Zambezia, led by the INGC with support from UNICEF source

Schools

UNICEF leads the UN Cluster for Education https://www.unicef.org

St Charles Lwanga boarding school, two died in rock slide source

● Website: http://www.stcharleskakiri.com

● Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pg/St.Clisk

 

Health and Hospitals

Damage is broad and difficult to assess. Flooding and debris blocks roadways, many locations are only available either by boat or helicopter. Preliminary reports indicate that the general hospital in Beira is without electricity, the roof destroyed, and the emergency room flooded , but part of the hospital still in a position to attend patients. 24 further health facilities are reportedly affected. more detailed information to follow. source For EMT Coordination visit VirtualOSSOC Below is a summary from Doctors without Borders: source

20 MAR

● Beira, Mozambique- Lenmed Health with help of SAAF (South African Air Force) helicopters saved 167 people, getting them to safety and some reuniting with family and friends source

● Maputo, Mozambique- Hospital Central De Maputo list of needs source

19 MAR

● Beira, Mozambique – Beira hospital has sustained severe damage to its operating theatre and several of the wards, and all 17 health centres have lost their roofs with additional damage.

● WHO is positioning health kits, emergency health kits, trauma kits and also cholera kits in order to be able to assist people on the ground, as soon as these kits gets there

18 MAR

● UNOCHA Flash #4 reports that the Beira Central Hospital emergency wing remains non-operational due to significant damage. However, other parts of the hospital – including the paediatric wing – have sustained less damage and are reportedly functioning. The Munhava District health center in Beira City has also sustained damage, with the roof reportedly collapsed source

● Outside of Beira, response is ongoing in Zambezia, including to contain the vaccine-derived polio outbreak which was confirmed in January 2019 source

Hospital Lists

● Map of local hospitals and Health Centres (Orange: Main Hospitals / Yellow: Health Centres and Rural Hospitals) map

Special Needs Populations

21 MAR

● At least an estimated 260,000 children have reportedly been affected and in critical conditions in the provinces of Sofala, Manica, Zambezia and Inhambane as reported by UNICEF. Many areas remain without power and almost every network has been damaged. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that a total of 1.6 million people have been affected in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. source

20 MAR

● Red Cross set up a web ledger to register people alive or gone missing. source

● WHO Regional Director for Africa outlined the scale of impact brought by cyclone Ida increased the risk of malaria, typhoid and cholera. source

● MSF teams report that hospitals and medical centres where HIV patients are treated are now only partially functioning (source). 12.5% of the population aged 15-49 is affected by HIV according to World Bank figures. source

● The scale of the devastation has left nearly 400,000 people homeless (source). WFP reckons nearly 500,000 out of 600,000 are in need of food assistance in Mozambique alone. source

● Water system is out of service and it is difficult to find sources of clean water especially in the most poorest and populated areas. source

Logistics, Transportation and Infrastructure

Logistics Cluster https://logcluster.org/

Airports

19 MAR

● Cargo reception information https://www.aeroportos.co.mz/recepcao-de-carga Phone numbers Beira Airport – +258 23 301071/2 Tete Airport – +258 25 220 010 Nacala Airport – +258 82 0626104 Pemba Airport – +258 27 220 312 Maputo Airport – +258 21 4653 27/8

● Beira International airport was closed after the air traffic control tower, the navigation systems and the runways were damaged by the storm. Some runway lights were damaged, the navigation system is damaged, the control tower antennas and the control tower itself are all damaged source

● WFP reports pilots are landing planes in the dark with no communications source

● No flights found – Mozambique is home to 42 airports which are shown on this map and listed, primary airports are listed alphabetically, in the table below. As of 19 Mar 2019 there are no commercial airlines operating over Mozambique airspace and all scheduled flights appear as “Scheduled” but no arrivals being noted. The only exception was a single Airlink flight arriving in Vilankulo Airport and a note from a UNOCHA report mentioning that WFP is landing humanitarian flights in Beira Airport but that Beira Airport has no communications or lights. Current Flights

18 MAR

● In Beira, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) is maintaining its Center of Operations at the airport, with inter-agency coordination currently being facilitated by WFP and COSACA source

16 MAR

● All internal flights cancelled for three days in a row

Lists of Airports

● Beira Airport (BEW/FQBR) – 19°47’47’S 34°54’27’E

● Chimoio Airport (VPY/FQCH) — 19°09’04’S 33°25’44’E (not listed on maps)

● Inhambane Airport (INH/FQIN) — 23°52’35’S 35°24’30’E

● Lichinga Airport (VXC/FQLC) — 13°16’26’S 35°15’58’E (not listed on maps)

● Maputo International Airport (MPM/FQMA) — 25°55’15’S 32°34’21’E

● Nacala Airport (MNC/FQNC) — 14°29’17’S 40°42’44’E

● Nampula Airport (APL/FQNP) — 15°06’20’S 39°16’54’E

● Pemba Airport (POL/FQPB) — 12°59’12’S 40°31’20’E

● Quelimane Airport (UEL/FQQL) — 17°51’19’S 36°52’08’E

● Tete Chingozi Airport aka Matundo (TET/FQTT) — 16°06’17’S 33°38’24’E

● Vilankulo Airport (VNX/FQVL) — 22°01’06’S 35°18’47’E

Modes of transport in Mozambique include rail, road, water, and air. There are rail links serving principal cities and connecting the country with Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa. There are over 30,000 km of roads, but much of the network is unpaved.

  • @WFP Access constraints Map PDF as of 18 MAR 2019 download PDF
  • @WFP Access constraints Map PDF as of 19 MAR 2019 download PDF
  • @WFP Access constraints Map PDF as of 20 MAR 2019 download PDF
  • @WFP Access constraints Map PDF as of 21 MAR 2019 download PDF

21 MAR

● Manica Province: A bridge has reportedly collapsed, isolating Dombe and Munhinga, in Sussundenga, from the rest of Manica province. source

● Sofala Province: Beira City remains cut-off from surrounding areas, with the N6 national road between Tica and Nhamatanda (85 kilometres from Beira) now impassable. Parts of Beira Port – including the grain terminal, warehouses and coal terminal – sustained damage. However, the container terminal and oil terminal did not sustain any major damage, according to preliminary reports. Several vessels ran aground near the Port and salvage operations are underway to clear the area. source . Buzi Town: 50 kilometers of land in Buzi town is submerged. Caia-Beira Humanitarian actors reported that the Caia-Beira road is not passable .Reports indicate this road will continue to be inaccessible for at least two additional weeks after the rains stop.

18 MAR

● Beira A large dam burst on Sunday in the city, cutting off the last road to the city of about 530,000 people, the IFRC said in a statement source

● UNOCHA Flash #4 reports that Beira City remains cut-off from surrounding areas, with the N6 national road between Tica and Nhamatanda (85 kilometres from Beira) now impassable source

● In Manica Province, there are reports of thousands of people affected by flooding and many areas remain inaccessible, making it difficult to identify the scale of impact and needs. A bridge has reportedly collapsed, isolating Dombe and Munhinga, in Sussundenga, from the rest of Manica province. source

17 MAR

● The EN6 which is the only road in and out of Beira has been destroyed by flood waters about 70 km from the city. source

Maritime / Shipping / Ports

Port of Beira Website https://www.cornelder.co.mz/

Port of Maputo Website http://www.portmaputo.com/

Grindrod Limited Logistics Website http://www.grindrod.co.za

● Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Grindrod-Limited

20 MAR

● Maputo Port companies MPDC, Grindrod and DP World Maputo are making every possible effort to deliver humanitarian goods to Beira. Thus, a container ship – the MV Border, operated by Ocean Africa Container Lines – has been named and will transport all goods from Maputo to Beira. This vessel has the capacity to carry about 500 containers, a total of 14,000 tons of cargo. The MV Border is expected to arrive at the Port of Maputo at 3am March 21. MPDC will update on its website and Facebook page on the position of the vessel.source

Power and Fuel

Status

20 MAR

● Damage caused by Cyclone Idai to pylons in Mozambique that carry power to neighboring countries may take weeks to repair, a state-power company official said. The damage to Mozambican infrastructure has exacerbated rolling outages in South Africa. An initial assessment of the destruction caused by the cyclone shows that at least one pylon collapsed and four or five others had minor damage. source

Water Systems

Status

The Mozambican city of Beira, which is most affected by cyclone Idai, is expected to have water back in the taps by Saturday and temporary accommodation camps will be installed, Lusa source of relief operations said on Friday. (Unconfirmed) source

20 MAR

● Water system in Beira should be back on by Saturday source

● Floods are exposing local population at risk of waterborne and respiratory diseases including pneumonia. Source

● In a early assessment MSF team reports local most people are using water from wells with no chlorination. Source

18 MAR

● The Population Services International (PSI) factory in Beira was also reportedly damaged, impacting WASH supplies, including stocks of certeza, a water purifier. source

16 MAR

● No reliable information regarding water supply in affected areas

Communications

Emergency Telecommunications Cluster https://www.etcluster.org/

21 MAR

● Télécoms Sans Frontière is providing connectivity at Beira airport to support the humanitarian community in the affected areas. source

20 MAR

● Communications were back on Wednesday as well as internet on mobiles in Beira. source

19 MAR

● City of Beira with no power and no communications

● Pilots are landing planes (WFP) in the dark with no communications Reliefweb “Can you imagine in an airport, damaged by the water, dark with no light or radio communication with the control tower, nothing. I mean, those pilots are incredible.” source

● General infrastructure – main roads leading into Beira have been cut off and most buildings have been submerged and severely damaged

● There is no electricity in Beira or surrounding areas

● Nearly all communication lines have been destroyed, which is making assessment of the human toll and scale of disaster extremely difficult

16 MAR

Communications 3G Reachable March 14, 2019 Count 3G Reachable Map

Communications 3G Difference March 14 2019 Indicates reduction in red

16 MAR

● Communications: Ground communications re-established but not operating 100%. 4G and 3G networks slowly recovering. GPRS working but service is intermittent and not reliable. Most of Beira is in a communications blackout. Communications services from local providers in Beira, the most affected city, are not operational. Satellite phone voice services in the affected areas are not reliable.

Maps and Reports

● Translators without Borders Language Map see snapshot in Appendix

● Copernicus Emergency Rapid Mapping

● Facebook Crisis Response Idai

● Direct Relief Population movement Map see snapshot in Appendix

● Mozambique Open Data sets Portal

● Government Open Data Portal

● IFRC 19 March Report

● HOT Open Street Maps https://tasks.hotosm.org/project/5839?task=203

● Mapaction team is enroute https://twitter.com/mapaction

● World Food Program Access constraints Map PDF as of 21 MAR 2019 download PDF

● Direct Relief Facebook Population density Analysis Map see snapshot in Appendix

  • 19 Mar 2019 Mozambique Difference in num reachable 3G cells.pdf

Social Media Pictures and Videos