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Cyclone Idai

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Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi described the damage caused by cyclone Idai in the central region as "very worrisome" but did not report data on deaths or injuries due to "search difficulties".

"The material damage so far has been major and very worrisome," said Filipe Nyusi, in an address to the nation, made from the Maputo International Airport, before embarking on a state visit to the kingdom of eSwatíni (ex- Swaziland).

The President of the Republic expressed his concern for the lack of conditions for aircraft landing, traffic circulation and electric power supply in the city of Beira due to the damage caused by Idai.

The Mozambican head of state said that that the storm had totally or partially destroyed houses, hospitals, health centres, schools, commercial buildings, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure.

The cities of Beira and Dondo, the district of Mafambisse (Sofala province) and the city of Chimoio and the administrative post of Inchope ( Manica province) are currently without electricity due to the Idai, which made landfall on the region on the 14th , said Filipe Nyusi.

The cyclone also affected Zambezia province, where it destroyed social and economic infrastructure and displaced dozens of families.

Inhassoro district, in Inhambane province, is also under a power outage because of fallen medium voltage electricity poles.

Filipe Nyusi said that as soon as conditions for access to affected areas were normalised, ministers and deputy ministers would be sent to these areas, to assess the damage and need for assistance.

Residents in the Munhava neighbourhood in the city of Beira, central Mozambique, reported to Lusa on Tuesday that there had been casualties in that area due to the destruction caused by the passage of Cyclone Idai.

The private TV channel STV reported that there was at least one death in the collapse of a house in Nhamatanda district, about 100 kilometres from the provincial capital.

Karin Manente, a representative of the World Food Program (WFP) in the country, told Lusa today that there are food products and five helicopters from different relief agencies ready to take action in the centre region as soon as there are weather conditions to operate.

This is the second strong storm to ravage central and northern Mozambique in just over a week.

Since March 6, at least 15 people have died and more than 103,000 have been affected by heavy rains and floods in central and northern Mozambique, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Just returning from the #INGC warehouse in Maputo. #COSACA #CARE is supporting #INGC to transport additional relief items to #Cyclone #Idai affected areas in #Beira. Relief items supplied with support from #UKAID. #CARE logistics team remains on stand-by for more support. pic.twitter.com/jwRPs0gj39

- Marc Nosbach (@NosbachMarc) March 15, 2019

Convoy enroute approx 100km from Gorongosa pic.twitter.com/rPtuO92i9N

- Marc Nosbach (@NosbachMarc) March 15, 2019

More help on the way: High Energy Biscuits just packed for airfreight at @unhrd, to support people isolated and in dire need because of the impact of #MozambiqueFloods2019 and cyclone #Idai, affecting central provinces of #Mozambique. pic.twitter.com/hHmdtsqvhK

- WFP Mozambique (@wfp_mozambique) March 14, 2019

Source: Lusa

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Cyclone Idai: Damage is "major and very worrisome" - President

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Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi described the damage caused by cyclone Idai in the central region as "very worrisome" but did not report data on deaths or injuries due to "search difficulties". "The material damage so far has been major and very worrisome," said Filipe Nyusi, in an address to t

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Cyclone Idai: Our response in Mozambique

  

In early March, heavy rains inundated Mozambique and Malawi, causing deadly floods. The storm soon developed into tropical Cyclone Idai, which has affected an estimated 1.8 million people in Mozambique alone, according to the United Nations. Hundreds of thousands more have been impacted in neighbouring Zimbabwe and Malawi.

ARTICLE 27 MARCH 2019 MOZAMBIQUE

Every day we learn more about the scale of devastation Cyclone Idai caused. It's massive. It will take time to understand the full scale of the needs, with remote communities still cut-off by flood-waters. Residents have lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones.



Helping separated families

Rescue efforts and emergency relief like shelter are vital, but an often-forgotten need is for people to know where their loved ones are. Many families are living in constant anxiety of whether family members are alive or not.

 

Photo: Amilton Neves/Nuku Studio

Families have been separated or lost contact in the storm or while being evacuated. The agony of not knowing what happened to your loved one in a disaster like Cyclone Idai is indescribable. We have staff in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe working to set up systems to help families without access to phone or internet find their missing relatives.
Diana Araujo, ICRC delegate in Beira
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a website for people to mark themselves as safe and to search for loved ones who may have done the same. The website is available in Portuguese and English.

Because many of the affected areas remain without power or access to the internet, we are working with the national Red Cross societies in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe to set up systems to register and search for missing people including unaccompanied and separated children.


Joachizinesa Matange is one of the people we are assisting through our Restoring Family Links programme. Photo: Amilton Neves/Nuku Studio

Our Restoring Family Links team is visiting resettlement camps and rural communities to help families separated by Cyclone Idai to reconnect with their loved ones.


Forensics activities in Mozambique

After a natural disaster, it is critical that the dead are catalogued and managed in a dignified way. Without proper management of human remains, bodies go unidentified and families are less likely to have closure.

The challenge for us is that the burials are very shallow. It's not a burial as much as a clump of trees and debris that people put on the body. Very soon that would be moved by the wind, the rain and the water, so that body will just reappear and require another more permanent burial.
Stephen Fonseca, Regional Forensic Manager
Our forensics team has been working to support authorities in the village of Dombe, a few hours' drive from Chimoio, to establish a system for managing the dead.

Given the flooding, creative solutions are needed. Our forensics team is assessing the needs and options in remote communities.


Healthcare

There is a real threat of disease outbreaks like cholera. Malaria cases are likely to rise. Clean water and access to health care and sanitation will be vital. Our water and sanitation experts as well as our health teams are working with our Red Cross partners to find the best way to respond to these needs.


Photo: Amilton Neves/Nuku Studio

In Beira, electricity has been a struggle at the city's largest hospital, affecting health care providers' ability to respond to those in need. The ICRC donated 1,000 litres of fuel to help provide generator power for the hospital. The ICRC has also donated medicines and medical supplies to other health facilities in central Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe.

The ICRC has been working in Beira, central Mozambique, to respond to the humanitarian consequences of the armed violence which affected communities in the provinces of Manica and Sofala between 2014 and 2016. We are very concerned about the rural communities that we served before Cyclone Idai hit, with some of them still cut-off from outside help.

From our logistics base in Chimoio, we have deployed a team to rapidly assess the situation in these remote communities in Manica and Sofala so that we can begin to provide life-saving support and respond to the urgent needs. We are also starting to distribute relief supplies in some of these communities.

Topics

Restoring family links
Forensic science

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📎 The Aftermath of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique and Zimbabwe
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Rich countries are being blamed for the Cyclone Idai.
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Cyclone Idai situation update : 1 March 2019.

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Cyclone Idai to make landfall in Mozambique

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JOHANNESBURG - The South African Weather Service on Thursday said Tropical cyclone Idai is expected to make a landfall in Mozambique later on Thursday.

Tropical cyclone Idai was currently over the northern parts of the Mozambique channel and was expected to move slowly south-west into parts of Mozambique over the next couple of days.

"Dangerously high seas, extreme flooding, strong, damaging winds, storm surges and significant rainfall may be expected," the SA Weather warned.

Charity foundation Gift of the Givers said in a statement that they were on high alert and would respond depending on the degree of devastation, but more importantly, only if a call was being made by the Mozambican Government for urgent assistance.

"Our intervention includes 70 personnel (aquatic rescue, rescue technicians, rescue divers, advance life support paramedics and doctors), 22 vehicles, ten power boats, four jetskis, 14 inflatable, non-motorised two-person rescue boats, a range of rescue equipment and access to an eight-seater plane.

"We have already engaged the Mozambican Government and the head of Disaster Management in that we are ready to respond if they require assistance" the foundation said.

Malawi and Mozambique have so far felt the brunt of Tropical Cyclone Idai since its inception on 9 March and close to a million people have been displaced, while scores have died and thousands of homes have been destroyed.

The SA Weather service said landfall is expected in Beira, Mozambique, between 9pm Thursday and 8am on Friday. Substantial devastation, with massive flooding, both from river and sea was expected.

The weather service confirmed that the cyclone is expected to largely miss South Africa.
African News Agency (ANA)

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Cyclone Idai to make landfall in Mozambique | IOL News

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JOHANNESBURG - The South African Weather Service on Thursday said Tropical cyclone Idai is expected to make a landfall in Mozambique later on Thursday. Tropical cyclone Idai was currently over the northern parts of the Mozambique channel and was expected to move slowly south-west into parts of Mozambique over the next couple of days.

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Cyclone Idai | World news | The Guardian

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Millions of survivors face dire conditions after the tropical cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique's coast, unleashing hurricane-force wind and rain that flooded swathes of the country. More than two million people have been affected in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, where the storm killed 60 and displaced nearly a million people.

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Devastation caused by Id

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Cyclone Idai: Our response in Mozambique

In early March, heavy rains inundated Mozambique and Malawi, causing deadly floods. The storm soon developed into tropical Cyclone Idai, which has affected an estimated 1.8 million people in Mozambique alone, according to the United Nations. Hundreds of thousands more have been impacted in neighbouring Zimbabwe and Malawi.

ARTICLE 27 MARCH 2019 MOZAMBIQUE

Every day we learn more about the scale of devastation Cyclone Idai caused. It's massive. It will take time to understand the full scale of the needs, with remote communities still cut-off by flood-waters. Residents have lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones.

Helping separated families

Rescue efforts and emergency relief like shelter are vital, but an often-forgotten need is for people to know where their loved ones are. Many families are living in constant anxiety of whether family members are alive or not.

Photo: Amilton Neves/Nuku Studio

Families have been separated or lost contact in the storm or while being evacuated. The agony of not knowing what happened to your loved one in a disaster like Cyclone Idai is indescribable. We have staff in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe working to set up systems to help families without access to phone or internet find their missing relatives.

Diana Araujo, ICRC delegate in Beira

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a website for people to mark themselves as safe and to search for loved ones who may have done the same. The website is available in Portuguese and English.

Because many of the affected areas remain without power or access to the internet, we are working with the national Red Cross societies in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe to set up systems to register and search for missing people including unaccompanied and separated children.

Joachizinesa Matange is one of the people we are assisting through our Restoring Family Links programme. Photo: Amilton Neves/Nuku Studio

Our Restoring Family Links team is visiting resettlement camps and rural communities to help families separated by Cyclone Idai to reconnect with their loved ones.

Forensics activities in Mozambique

After a natural disaster, it is critical that the dead are catalogued and managed in a dignified way. Without proper management of human remains, bodies go unidentified and families are less likely to have closure.

The challenge for us is that the burials are very shallow. It's not a burial as much as a clump of trees and debris that people put on the body. Very soon that would be moved by the wind, the rain and the water, so that body will just reappear and require another more permanent burial.

Stephen Fonseca, Regional Forensic Manager

Our forensics team has been working to support authorities in the village of Dombe, a few hours' drive from Chimoio, to establish a system for managing the dead.

Given the flooding, creative solutions are needed. Our forensics team is assessing the needs and options in remote communities.

Healthcare

There is a real threat of disease outbreaks like cholera. Malaria cases are likely to rise. Clean water and access to health care and sanitation will be vital. Our water and sanitation experts as well as our health teams are working with our Red Cross partners to find the best way to respond to these needs.

Photo: Amilton Neves/Nuku Studio

In Beira, electricity has been a struggle at the city's largest hospital, affecting health care providers' ability to respond to those in need. The ICRC donated 1,000 litres of fuel to help provide generator power for the hospital. The ICRC has also donated medicines and medical supplies to other health facilities in central Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe.

The ICRC has been working in Beira, central Mozambique, to respond to the humanitarian consequences of the armed violence which affected communities in the provinces of Manica and Sofala between 2014 and 2016. We are very concerned about the rural communities that we served before Cyclone Idai hit, with some of them still cut-off from outside help.

From our logistics base in Chimoio, we have deployed a team to rapidly assess the situation in these remote communities in Manica and Sofala so that we can begin to provide life-saving support and respond to the urgent needs. We are also starting to distribute relief supplies in some of these communities.

Topics

Restoring family links

Forensic science

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S Madonsela

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The death toll in Mozambique from Cyclone Idai could be as high as 1,000, President Filipe Nyusi has said.

Mr Nyusi flew over some of the worst-hit areas on Monday. He described seeing bodies floating in the rivers.

The storm made landfall near the port city of Beira on Thursday with winds of up to 177 km/h (106 mph), but aid teams only reached the city on Sunday.

A UN aid worker told the BBC that every building in Beira - home to half a million people - had been damaged.

Gerald Bourke, from the UN's World Food Programme, said: "No building is untouched. There is no power. There is no telecommunications. The streets are littered with fallen electricity lines.

"The roofs on so many houses have fallen in, likewise the walls. A lot of people in the city have lost their homes."

Rescue crews spent much of the night helping people from trees, Jamie LeSeur, the head of the IFRC assessment team, told the BBC.

If you are in the area and it is safe, email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Africa Live: Updates on this and other African stories

School hit by deadly cyclone landslide

The official death toll in Mozambique stands at 84 following flooding and high winds. The cyclone has killed at least 180 people across southern Africa.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) described the damage as "massive and horrifying".

In Zimbabwe, at least 98 people have died and 217 people are missing in the east and south, the government said.

The death toll included two pupils from the St Charles Lwanga boarding school in the district of Chimanimani, who died after their dormitory was hit when rocks swept down a mountain.

Malawi was also badly hit. The flooding there, caused by the rains before the cyclone made landfall, led to at least 122 deaths, Reliefweb reports.

The UK government said it would provide humanitarian aid worth £6m ($8m) to Mozambique and Malawi. It also said it would send tents and thousands of shelter kits to Mozambique.

How bad is the damage in Beira?

Most of those known to have died so far were killed around Beira, the country's fourth largest city with a population of about 500,000, authorities there said.

More than 1,500 people were injured by falling trees and debris from buildings including zinc roofing, officials in the capital Maputo told the BBC.

"Almost everything has been affected by the calamity," Alberto Mondlane, the governor of Sofala province, which includes Beira, said on Sunday. "We have people currently suffering, some on top of trees and are badly in need of help."

Local people in Beira have put in an "incredible effort" to reopen roads in the city, Mr LeSeur told the BBC's Newsday programme.

The road linking Beira to the rest of the country was damaged, but air links have now resumed. President Filipe Nyusi cut short a trip to eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland, to visit the affected areas.

What's the situation in Zimbabwe?

A state of disaster has been declared in Zimbabwe. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has returned home early from a trip to the United Arab Emirates to "make sure he is involved directly with the national response", the authorities say.

The ministry of information has shared pictures of pupils from St Charles Lwanga School, who have now been rescued.

Image Copyright @InfoMinZW @InfoMinZW Report

Image Copyright @InfoMinZW @InfoMinZWReport

Shocked survivors at a hospital in Chimanimani district told how the floods destroyed their homes and swept away their loved ones.

"I still have not found where my daughter is buried in the debris," Jane Chitsuro told the AFP news agency. "There is no furniture, no more clothes, there is only rubble and stones."

Praise Chipore's house was also destroyed. "My daughter who was with me in bed was washed away from me and a bigger flood carried me further away," she said.

'Never seen anything like this'
Shingai Nyoka, BBC Africa, eastern Zimbabwe
My journey to Chimanimani ended abruptly when we came across a huge crater in the road. The river was raging below and scores of people were standing on either side.

This was the main road linking the city of Mutare to the villages of Chimanimani, which have been cut off. Aid teams have been unable to get through.

People who live in this area say they have never seen anything like this. An elderly couple, Edson and Miriam Sunguro, told me that they have been trying to contact relatives in Chimanimani without success.

What will the weather do next?

"There is a risk of more rain over the next few days for the northern half of Mozambique and southern Malawi," BBC Weather's Chris Fawkes said.

There could be thunderstorms, he added, but "the picture is complicated by thick layers of cloud left over from Idai that could prevent some thunderstorms from starting".
Are you in the area? If it is safe to do so please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The death toll in Mozambique from Cyclone Idai could be as high as 1,000, President Filipe Nyusi has said. Mr Nyusi flew over some of the worst-hit areas on Monday. He described seeing bodies floating in the rivers.

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this is a live video taken during the cyclone . People documented their experiences and how it affected their cities and homes.

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Happening Right Now : Cyclone Idai Hits Mutare

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Ten days ago, Cyclone Idai, one of the most devastating storms to hit Africa in decades, made landfall in Mozambique with sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph), damaging or destroying thousands of structures. The tropical storm then moved inland, bringing heavy rain and flooding to more parts of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. More than 750 deaths are attributed to Idai so far, while thousands remain stranded in remote rural areas. International aid is starting to reach the region, while workers struggle to repair roads, restore power, and care for the survivors-with special attention toward preventing cholera outbreaks.

View this page Hints: full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

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The Aftermath of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique and Zimbabwe

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Ten days ago, Cyclone Idai, one of the most devastating storms to hit Africa in decades, made landfall in Mozambique with sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph), damaging or destroying thousands of structures. The tropical storm then moved inland, bringing heavy rain and flooding to more parts of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

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ZIMBABWE GOVERNMENT USES CYCLONE IDAI TO MAKE MONEY

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The latest Unicef report on the impact of Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe says that the estimated number of people affected in nine districts has increased to 270,000 of which 129,600 are children. 139 schools were damaged, affecting 90,000 children.

Unicef says 171 deaths had been reported at the end of March with another 330 people still missing; tragically these are statistics that will increase as clean-up operations continue and mud and flood debris are cleared away.

Unicef says the worst impact of the cyclone was in Chimanimani and Chipinge but other areas affected by high winds and flash flooding were Buhera, Nyanga, Makoni, Mutare rural, Bikita, Masvingo and Gutu.

As the days have passed since Cyclone Idai hit Zimbabwe, there have been stories of incredible bravery and heroism side by side with heartbreaking tragedy and loss. Rescuers in the immediate aftermath described unimaginable scenes, utter devastation and everywhere a massive jumble of rocks and huge boulders that slipped down from the mountains, engulfing everything and everyone.

Familiar places had just gone, swept away in raging floodwater and rivers of thick red mud. In one short video clip, freelance journalist Privilege Musvanhiri stands in an area newly covered with thick sand and giant boulders. This, he says, was the Rusitu Valley Township where there was a police camp, government offices, businesses and homes, all of which are now completely gone, buried under his feet, under the giant boulders.

He described people wandering around looking for anything that would give them closure because there were no answers as to where all the people had gone: were they alive, dead, washed away?

We heard countless stories of people helping each other and saving people stranded, stuck, terrified; moments away from being taken by torrential water or clinging mud. We heard how a man tied a rope around his waist and went into a raging river to rescue two women stranded in a tree. He tied the rope around them and they were dragged to the bank, shortly afterwards witnessing that same tree being pulled away in the flood waters. We heard of a 25-year-old young man rescuing his mother, then his son and then his brother, from a massive mud slide.

We heard harrowing tales of bodies being dug out of the mud, of children whose parents were washed away in the flood waters and of parents who lost their children.

We heard and continue to hear of the amazing, tireless determination of individuals, clubs and groups to get relief to people, repair the damage and restore hope. The ongoing work of camp Econet, Miracle Missions and so many other private groups, individuals and companies is inspiring, as are the donations that continue to pour in from all directions and international organisations.

That Zimbabweans have responded with such outstanding love and generosity when our own lives are in extreme distress in Zimbabwe's economic crisis is deeply moving. With each 10 dollar purchase that we made in Zimbabwe, to assist with cyclone relief, the government charged us 2% tax.

With every blanket or towel we bought, every bag of maize meal, every bucket, every length of rope, the government charged us 2% tax.

With every 10 dollars we sent by mobile phone or bank transfer to people in trouble, the government charged us 2% tax. And for those same 10 dollars that those people sent on to other people in trouble, the government charged another 2%. We did not put our names, religious or political affiliations on to our donations or labours; we did not put on Zimbabwean scarves, white dust coats and thick red rubber gloves. We just stepped forward as one Zimbabwean to another, paid the iniquitous, punitive 2% tax and carried on helping each other.

We cannot help but wonder how much extra revenue Zimbabwe's government made in 2% tax levies from unbudgeted purchases of relief for Cyclone victims in the past three weeks. Do they not see or care how much this tax, which grows every time we move the same 10 dollars, is hurting each and every ordinary, struggling Zimbabwean?

I end this letter with these critical words from a group of UN experts speaking in Geneva yesterday about the current appalling economic situation in Zimbabwe: "We are gravely concerned that, as the situation in Zimbabwe deteriorates, the government is pushing people further into poverty. We are not aware of any government measures to provide even minimal safety nets for those who are already living on an economic cliff-edge and who will suffer the most from these regressive policies." - Copyright © Cathy Buckle
Buckle is a Zimbabwean writer and blogger living in Marondera, Zimbabwe Brought to you by Moneyweb

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How Zimbabwean government makes money from Cyclone Idai heartbreak and heroism

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The latest Unicef report on the impact of Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe says that the estimated number of people affected in nine districts has increased to 270,000 of which 129,600 are children. 139 schools were damaged, affecting 90,000 children.

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KIDS LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES

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BEIRA, Mozambique - Her name is Chuva, which in Portuguese means rain. For four days that was all she saw as she clung to her rooftop in the cyclone's aftermath and prayed to be saved.

Maria Chuva clasped her 5-year-old daughter, Amiel, to her tightly as she recounted the panic of opening her front door to water that came up to her neck, and scrambling with her family to the roof.
IN PHOTOS: Mozambique residents plead for help after Cyclone Idai kills hundreds
Now, after elbowing her way onto a rescue boat for a bewildering journey with her two girls to the inundated port city of Beira, she paused in the din of a displacement camp to reflect on losing everything but her children - and the splintered families now around her. The orphans are especially hard for her to bear.

"It hurts me so bad," she said.

An estimated 900,000 children have been orphaned or separated from their families, made homeless or otherwise affected by Cyclone Idai, half of the 1.8 million people impacted overall, according to Mozambican government figures.
WATCH: Death toll rises as thousands await rescue
The children crowd displacement camps, sleeping rough on plastic tarps on bare brick floors, or on the wooden benches of crowded schools.

They slide down wooden bannisters, teeter on rain-slickened tile stairs near open cooking fires on the concrete floor. They play checkers with bottle caps. They squat around a metal pot as big as themselves, scraping its sides with their bare hands for the last remaining kernels of rice.

No one yet knows how many are orphaned, just as no one knows how many people in the cyclone-hit countries of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi are dead or missing.
READ MORE: Cyclone Idai death toll climbs to 600 as survivors, rescue workers battle dire conditions
Families were separated in the chaos. Many children lost a mother or father, or both.

"We are concerned about children who were orphaned by the cyclone or became separated from their parents in the chaos that followed," said Henrietta Fore, executive director of the U.N. organization for children, UNICEF.

Initial assessments in Beira indicate that more than 2,600 classrooms have been destroyed and 39 health centers impacted. At least 11,000 houses have been totally destroyed. "This will have serious consequences on children's education, access to health services, and mental well-being," Fore said.

"The situation will get worse before it gets better," Fore added, warning of diseases like cholera, malaria and diarrhea "which can turn this disaster into a major catastrophe."

In a bare gymnasium in the Samora Machel secondary school in Beira, at least 12 children are orphans, said Juta Joao Sithole, who represents the nearly 350 people from the town of Buzi who shelter there.

He said the orphans are very young: 4, 5, 7-years old.
WATCH: Thousands still need rescuing after cyclone devastates parts of Africa
He feels for them keenly. His own two children, ages 9 and 7, are still at home in Buzi after he was plucked from a rooftop after three days without water and food and flown to Beira. With communications completely down, he has no way of reaching them, of knowing how they are.

When the orphaned children approach with questions, Sithole uses tough love and deflection: Eat this. Sleep here. Go play.

"When they ask about their parents, I tell them, 'Please keep quiet,'" he said. He tells them stories and jokes instead.

It is too difficult to talk about death. "Children are children," he said. "They don't know anything. I treat them like my own."

For more than a week after the cyclone, a 7-year-old girl waited with her older sister at the school, injured and bewildered by her mother's absence. Finally her mother appeared at the school. By then the small girl was so traumatized she couldn't say her name.

She sat alone on the concrete floor the next morning, crying, snot running down her lip, even though her mother had only stepped away. Sithole hoisted her up by one arm and tried to question her. She balances on one leg and only sniffled, her eyes swollen.
READ MORE: Cyclone Idai leaves behind 'inland ocean' in devastated African countries
"Her health is not good," Sithole said, and helped her sit again.

Many other Mozambican children now know hunger and homelessness, and the growing risk of disease.

In the Agostinho Neto primary school in Beira, 270 children displaced by the cyclone now live in classrooms, all of them thought to have at least one guardian. They play beneath the remains of a collapsed roof, its beams now hung with drying clothes.

"It's sad. It hurts me to see families sleeping 10 people together, separated by desks," said Saoundina Tempe, a manager there with Mozambique's disaster management agency. "Newborns, pregnant women. Their lives are in jeopardy because of disease, being together in the same place."
WATCH: Red Cross says cyclone death toll to 'rise significantly'
For some children who survived the storm, a patch of sidewalk in downtown Beira is now home.

Marta Ben is surrounded by them. The 30-year-old mother of five clutched a baby to her hip, barefoot, a cooking pot bubbling nearby.

When the cyclone hit their neighborhood of shacks near the sea and peeled their roofs away, she and other young mothers gathered what children they could and fled.

"We lost some of them," she said.

On Friday she and the children marked a week on the sidewalk. They now beg to get by.

"If people give," she said simply, "we receive."

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Cyclone Idai: Estimated 900,000 children orphaned, separated or impacted in Mozambique

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BEIRA, Mozambique - Her name is Chuva, which in Portuguese means rain. For four days that was all she saw as she clung to her rooftop in the cyclone's aftermath and prayed to be saved.

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Cyclone Idai continues to ravage the south-eastern regions of Africa, killing 65 more in Zimbabwe over the weekend.
The powerful cyclone, that has already ravaged parts of Malawi and Mozambique, continued its devastation in Zimbabwe. In the eastern Chimanimani region, many houses, bridges and roads were washed away in flash floods.

#NyahodeRiver in South eastern #Manicaland #Zimbabwe has broke it's banks following heavy rains and flooding brought by #CycloneIdai pic.twitter.com/HzrYUDfauH

- Chikonamombe🇿🇼 (@jayaguru_ZW) March 16, 2019

"So far we looking at 65 people that have lost their lives," The Guardian reports Joshua Sacco, lawmaker for Chimanimani, as saying.

"We are very worried because all these houses were just suddenly submerged under water and literally washed away and that is where we have about 147 missing. It's very sad and the situation is dire."

President Robert Emmerson Mnangagwa cut short his diplomatic visit to Abu Dhabi to help with the crisis, officially declaring a state of disaster in the affected areas.

Meanwhile in Mozambique, Environmental Minister Celso Correia rated the disaster as the worst the nation has ever faced.

"I think this is the biggest natural disaster Mozambique has ever faced," he said.

"All roads are cut, the infrastructure is destroyed, practically everything is destroyed. Our priority now is to save human lives."

The United Nations estimates that over 1.5 million people have been affected by Cyclone Idai in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

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Cyclone Idia kills 65 in Zimbabwe, state of disaster declared - SA Breaking News

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Cyclone Idai continues to ravage the south-eastern regions of Africa, killing 65 more in Zimbabwe over the weekend. The powerful cyclone, that has already ravaged parts of Malawi and Mozambique, continued its devastation in Zimbabwe. In the eastern Chimanimani region, many houses, bridges and roads were washed away in flash floods.

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Earth: Climate and Weather - National Geographic - 24hToday

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cyclone idai

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Ten people have been killed and tens of thousands affected as Cyclone Idai ravaged regions in Mozambique late on Monday.
The United Nations reported that severe flooding lead to the deaths of six people in Tete province while another four were swept away in Zambezia. The report revealed that over 62 000 residents have been affected by the mass flooding, with many more in harm's way as Cyclone Idai grows.

Originally a category three cyclone, Idai has intensified and has been reclassified to an extremely dangerous category four, with wind speeds of up to 185kph. The belly of the beast is expected to make landfall in Mozambique on Thursday.

"Tropical Cyclone Idai is not expected to hit South Africa at this stage," said Alan Morrison from AfricaWeather.

"It should only affect central parts of Mozambique and possibly the far-east of Zimbabwe over the weekend. Harare will experience some rain, but it won't be subject to the forecast cyclone."

Over 300mm of rain is expected to fall in affected areas, with more than 100 000 Mozambicans at risk.

Powerful Cyclone #Idai is on a path that will put more lives and property in peril across #Mozambique later this week: https://t.co/6HNz6rAQDX pic.twitter.com/hMyEZnLEve

- AccuWeather (@breakingweather) March 12, 2019

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Cyclone Idai intensifies, kills ten in Mozambique - SA Breaking News

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Ten people have been killed and tens of thousands affected as Cyclone Idai ravaged regions in Mozambique late on Monday. The United Nations reported that severe flooding lead to the deaths of six people in Tete province while another four were swept away in Zambezia.

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​Mr Abrie Senekal, Emergency Care Practitioner from the University of Johannesburg's (UJ) Department of Emergency Medical Care within the Faculty of Health Science, shares the harrowing experience of being one of the first responders as Cyclone Idai made landfall.

I never thought reporting for a clinical road shift on Wednesday 13 March 2019 was the start of a sudden life changing rescue disaster response with Rescue South Africa. I volunteered to deploy as part of a small experienced and dedicated team of rescuers to render assistance to the affected people of Beira, Mozambique.

The rainy three days of travel over potholed filled and partially destroyed roads, lugging close to 3 tons of equipment, made us realize that the worse was still to come as we neared Beira. The last 400 km stretch from Vilanculos to Beira took our convoy well over 13 hours. We constantly stopped to clear the road of fallen trees and debris.

On arrival at Sena Hotel in Beira on the Friday night, 15 March, we were awestruck by the destructive force of Cylcone Idai. No infrastructure, including all communication means, was left untouched. We very quickly realized the magnitude of this disaster our team of only 15 members were about to face.

The next 9 days marked a series of unexpected events we had to face and manage. Firstly, we had to clear the inaccessible 3km road to the Beira airport, which became the base where all rescue coordination and operations were tasked from. Whilst still busy with this, focus immediately shifted to an aquatic rescue where a dam wall had burst. That night our team entered treacherous currents to row out to people shouting for help from trees in the dark. The number of people calling out for help far outweighed our capacity. With commitment and a common purpose, we rescued as many people as we could before the conditions became too dangerous to continue.

Much needed air support only arrived 2 days later, at which point we were able to commence with air rescue and relief operations. Again, our focus, given the limited resources, was to do the most for the most. Heartbreakingly, this meant that some people would be left to their own fate.

The magnitude of this disaster is difficult to fathom and the remnants of Cyclone Idai will still be felt for months and years to come by the people of Mozambique. Having said this, I feel very privileged and honored to have been part of the Rescue South Africa team that assisted the people of Mozambique. I wish to thank the faculty for having the confidence in my abilities and releasing me to participate in this disaster response.

Watch Video

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'Socorro' - 'Help': UJ's first responder to Cyclone Idai shares his experience

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​Mr Abrie Senekal, Emergency Care Practitioner from the University of Johannesburg's (UJ) Department of Emergency Medical Care within the Faculty of Health Science, shares the harrowing experience of being one of the first responders as Cyclone Idai made landfall.

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Floods devastate many.

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cyclone idai and floods

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1269813-MOZAMBIQUE CYLONE IDAI & FLOODS, SITUATION REPORT NO.1 02 April 2019 FINAL ...

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M. Moswane
Hunger strikes after cyclone Idai

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Not all is lost.

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Rich countries are being blamed for the Cyclone Idai.

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Rich countries are being blamed for the Cyclone Idai.

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Devastation in Sofala Province, central Mozambique. EPA

The tropical cyclone rampaging south-eastern Africa has been described as one of the worst disasters ever to strike the southern hemisphere, with up to 2.6m people potentially affected in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The death toll may not be known for months, but it is already likely to have run to hundreds and possibly thousands of people. The brunt of the disaster has been borne by the coastal city of Beira in central Mozambique, 90% of which has been reportedly destroyed.

It is inevitable that people will connect Idai and climate change. It is always tricky to establish a direct causal link, but thanks to the evidence provided by a number of reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including this most recent one from October 2018, we know that climate change is bound to increase the intensity and frequency of storms like Idai. At the very least, this crisis is a harbinger of what is coming.

Knowing this is a luxury that we must not squander. The IPCC estimates we have 12 years to prevent the Earth's climate from crossing the 1.5℃ warming threshold, beyond which the effects are likely to become significantly worse. We should be spending this time both trying to minimise the increase in global temperatures and making people more prepared for similar events in future. The West has a duty to shoulder most of the burden here, for reasons we'll explain in a moment. To do so, it needs to rethink its entire approach to international development.

The reality of disasters

Over the next few weeks, we may hear that Beira's geography makes it particularly prone to natural disasters. We may hear that the region lacks an efficient early-warning system to alert its population. We may even hear some victim-blaming rhetoric that local people refused to leave despite being warned. Arguments like these all obscure a much more important explanation for what has happened.

It is not only the intensity of environmental disasters that makes them devastating - poverty also has a huge bearing on how things play out. Houses in poorer areas will often be less stable, storm barriers may be weaker, sanitation is often a problem, emergency services will be poorly resourced - and preventing disease outbreaks may be hindered by the poor state of public health services. The list of disadvantages goes on and on.

Good example are hurricanes Katrina and Sandy in the US. Katrina struck New Orleans and the surrounding region in 2005 while Sandy hit New York and New Jersey in 2012. Sandy hit a far more densely populated area, but the death toll was at least five times lower than Katrina and it only caused about half the damage.

While Sandy was a category three storm to Katrina's five, this was certainly not the only reason for the disparity. New Orleans, one of the poorest cities in the US, had poorly constructed levees which were easily overcome by the flood. Many people did not have cars, so couldn't evacuate easily when the authorities told them to.

The earthquakes that struck Haiti and Japan in 2010 and 2016 respectively are another example. Both were of similar magnitude, but between 100,000 and 316,000 died in Haiti while in Japan it was just 42. One reason the Haitian disaster was so much worse was the many thousands of unstable shanty houses in Port-au-Prince.

Inequalities within countries matter as well. The most vulnerable people are usually women, children, the poor, the elderly, ethnic minorities or indigenous people. Hurricane Katrina hit the elderly poor of New Orleans disproportionately hard, for instance, since they found it hardest to escape.

Where responsibility lies

In all this inequality, the world's wealthiest countries are heavily culpable. It stems from a complex economic system that disadvantages the Global South - not to mention the centuries-long experience of colonialism, the effects of which have hampered human development until this day.

In a world where 26 billionaires own as much wealth as the bottom half of humanity, the prospect of more frequent and intense climate disasters is only bound to exacerbate those inequalities. At the same time, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe contribute only a small fraction of the emissions that are causing such disasters. The West's responsibility - along with other big emitters such as China - is therefore also a matter of climate justice.

Part of that responsibility lies in changing the current approach to disaster aid. In major donor countries such as the US and UK, the guiding modus operandi of disaster relief has been reactive as opposed to proactive measures. The UK spent £1.2 billion in 2018/19 on emergency responses such as humanitarian interventions, while disaster prevention and preparedness has received a mere £76m. In the case of Cyclone Idai, the Department for International Development has now earmarked £18m to assist humanitarian relief efforts in Mozambique and Malawi - tripling the original pledge from a couple of days earlier.

To be clear, humanitarian responses are absolutely key, but insufficient on their own. They bandage wounds rather than fix what caused them. Instead, donor countries need to prioritise identifying the most vulnerable people both before and after a disaster, and ensure they receive the required support and are granted the agency to be actively involved in the process.

EPA

Besides the high-profile attempts to reduce global emissions, countries such as the UK should be offering support to poorer countries with everything from building flood defences to supporting social services to transferring technology. They should be forgiving national debt, redistributing wealth or at least giving them preferential trade deals to help them adapt to climate change themselves. This requires a rethinking not just of humanitarian aid but of development assistance in general.

Fortunately this is not just blue skies thinking on our parts. The House of Commons International Development Committee is currently reviewing the aid budget and considering an approach built around climate justice. This emerging discipline is gaining traction and credibility around the world and will be the subject of a World Forum taking place in Glasgow in June. Ahead of that, Tahseen Jafry - one of the co-authors of this article - will be making a keynote presentation in New York in April.

In short, it feels like momentum is steadily building. The UK caused a disproportionately large part of climate change. Now it ought to show leadership by pioneering a new approach to development that has inequality at the top of the agenda.

Click here to subscribe to our climate action newsletter. Climate change is inevitable. Our response to it isn't.

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Cyclone Idai: rich countries are to blame for disasters like this - here's how they can make amends

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The tropical cyclone rampaging south-eastern Africa has been described as one of the worst disasters ever to strike the southern hemisphere, with up to 2.6m people potentially affected in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The death toll may not be known for months, but it is already likely to have run to hundreds and possibly thousands of people.

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Cyclone Idai moves further inland - 5pm CAT March 15, 2019

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Cyclone Idai

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Aerial footage shows Cyclone Idai devastation in Mozambique

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