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Cyclone Idai / Kenneth – Mozambique - 2019
Global
English
Mozambique
Southern Africa
Ibo
Humanitarian assistance
Saving Lives
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Climate Change
Cyclone, Flood
Humanitarian
Oxfam Novib/International
A-05995-02, A-06004-02, A-05940-02, A-05940-03, A-05940-04, A-05940-05, A-05940-06, A-05940-07, A-05940-08
10 May 19
Micas Mondlane / Oxfam Novib
Micas Mondlane / Oxfam Novib
Full body shot
Landscape
Fatuma Abdalla (30), mother of one, collects firewood at her home in Ibo island, northern Mozambique. Behind her is the temporary shelter that she now sleeps in with her son after her house that she built in 2017 was destroyed by Cyclone Kenneth.
Fatuma Abdalla:
"I had worked hard to build my house in 2017 and not even two years later, it has been destroyed. I had not even enjoyed living in it."
"This is the first time I have ever experienced something like this. Before the cyclone, I used to see someone walking around the village with a megaphone warning that something was coming. It was not clear when that thing would come but we were asked to go to the fort building to seek refuge until the weather was calm. We also read it in the newspapers that the cyclone would hit five other districts but not ours."
"I wondered to myself what exactly that ‘thing’ is. Was it an animal? Was it a tree? Was it a person? I couldn’t visualize it, so my family and I decided to stay."
"We have read about cyclones in school and watched in on TV sometimes and we see how it kills but we didn’t really know what it was. When the winds started, everyone was looking for a tree to hold on to so that you’re not blown away. When the rain hit your face, it was like being hit by a stone. Our neighbours ran to us and we sheltered in my mother’s house. Soon the bricks started popping off the wall and we scattered to safety. I grabbed my kid’s bag that had a sweater and some clothes because I didn’t want them to be cold."
"My mother was in a different location and could not come back home for six days. There was no means for her to come back home so she had to wait until the rains stopped before she could come home.’
"When we had fled to the fort building, I heard that some people had got into our home and stolen what they could find. When we came back, I found my TV and freezer gone."
"I don’t have a husband so I can only rely on myself to repair my house. I went back to school to finish my education and I also help my mother sell fried fish in the market. That is what we relied on to cover our needs."
On 25th April 2019 just six weeks after Cyclone Idai, Cyclone Kenneth made landfall in Cabo Delgado province in Northern Mozambique. With winds up to 210 km/h, it is the strongest cyclone to ever hit the country. It’s the first time on record in Mozambique that two cyclones of such strength struck in the same season.
This part of the country isn’t often struck by powerful cyclones – so many would have been unprepared for Cyclone Kenneth’s impact. Many places are also experiencing heavy rainfall of up to 500 mm, which has led to severe flooding.
Over 700,000 people live in Cyclone Kenneth’s path, at least 370,000 people have been affected according to the government. Aerial assessments show how many villages were wiped out. The most affected districts are Quissanga, Macomia as well as Ibo, where up to 80 per cent of houses have been damaged or destroyed by the strong winds and flash floods.
Cabo Delgado is one of Mozambique’s poorest provinces. Many were already on the brink of poverty, and now they have lost their homes, livelihoods and even loved ones. Over 35,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed, over 30,000 hectares of crops are affected, and at least 38 people have died, according to the government. Nearly 200 classrooms have been devastated, affecting more than 20,000 students.
According to local authorities, 38 people have died, and more than 35,000 homes have been fully or partially destroyed. The UN (OCHA) estimates 168,000 people are in need of humanitarian support according across the whole district (Ibo, Quirambo, Matemo and Quirimba), including many hard to reach areas with limited access and logistical constraints. One of the most impacted area is Ibo, a small island just off the coast of Cabo Delgado.
There has already been flash flooding in Pemba and Macomia, with potential risks for landslides and storm surges impacting the wider district of Cabo Delgado, making access to communities very difficult and complicating the operations further.
Ibo island was directly hit by Cyclone Kenneth on April 25th, and many families lost everything in the winds and flooding. Already a remote island, Oxfam, working with the COSACA Consortium with Save the Children and CARE, reached the community on Ibo by boat to bring emergency aid like clean water and sanitation. Families are rebuilding their homes, but are still vulnerable as organisations take lengthy measures to ensure aid can reach those living in the remote island.