MOZAMBIQUE CYCLONE

ABOUT THE CYCLONE IDAI
A powerful storm called Cyclone Idai has hit the African nations of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, affecting over 1.85 million people. Cyclone Idai is now the worst natural disaster in southern Africa in nearly two decades.

Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall over Mozambique between March 14 and 15, producing torrential rains and strong winds across the country, as well as in neighboring Malawi and Zimbabwe. Cyclone Idai is now the worst natural disaster in southern Africa in nearly two decades. Approximately 900 square miles of land was covered in water – an area larger than New York City and Los Angeles combined. The catastrophic flooding triggered by the storm has killed more than 1000 people, leaving 1.85 million people in need of assistance. Many families were separated as they fled the rising flood waters, while others were trapped on high ground, unable to access basic goods and services for days. Tens of thousands of people were displaced, many having to flee with nothing as the waters rose rapidly. Children, the elderly and people with disabilities who are less mobile are likely to have been left behind or stranded, while women are expected to have borne the brunt of the storm, as they strove to save their households and livelihoods.

As of April 12, 2019:

• The confirmed death toll has risen above 603 people and estimated to be over 1000, according to the Government.

• The number of houses recorded as destroyed or damaged has increased to more than 239,731, including 112,745 houses totally destroyed, 111,202 partially destroyed, and 15,784 flooded.  More than 93,700 people had been reached with some form of shelter and non-food item assistance as of 6 April.

• On 12 April, 312 new cholera cases were reported, bringing the total reported cases to 4,979, according to the Ministry of Health.

• Over 1 million people had received food assistance as of 12 April, and distribution of seeds for the winter harvest was underway in Sofala province.

• Over 907,000 people have received water support, over 155,000 have received hygiene support, and over 18,230 have received sanitation support.

Cyclone Idai is only the latest extreme weather event to blight the region, affecting more than half a million people and filling humanitarian camps with tens of thousands.

Infrastructure wrecked
While the full extent of Cyclone Ida’s impact is still being assessed, early reports indicate significant damage to infrastructure, livelihoods, housing (over a quarter of a million homes unusable), and other property with an estimate including more than 3,140 classrooms damaged affecting more than 90,756 children, and 3,000km² of land submerged.

In response, humanitarian organizations are providing lifesaving assistance and working to address urgent needs. These groups are providing emergency food, water, health care, and shelter supplies to the families who have been affected while the Global Bank is supporting early recovery and transition from relief to development.

These Photos Show the Devastation Caused by a Catastrophic Climate Disaster

On March 12 NASA’s Terra satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Idai in the Mozambique Channel of the Southern Indian Ocean. Idai was located between Mozambique (left) and Madagascar (right). Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)

An aerial view of a neighborhood affected by Cyclone Idai on March 24, 2019, in Beira, Mozambique. Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images

Aerial view of the damaged areas of Beira, Mozambique, on March 24, 2019. Gokhan Balci/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.

A woman washes clothes in muddy waters at a boat landing place in Buzi, Mozambique, on March 23, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Girls collect artificial flowers from the rubble of a building destroyed by the cyclone Idai at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Beira, Mozambique. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

People from Buzi take shelter in the Samora M. Machel secondary school in Beira, Mozambique, on March 21, 2019, following the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai. Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images.

People collect metal sheets from a damaged supermarket to rebuild their destroyed houses following the devastation in Beira, on March 21, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

The extent of flooding, depicted in red, around the port city of Beira, Mozambique, on March 19. This mission is also supplying imagery through the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service to aid relief efforts. European Space Agency.

Women wait in a line to receive relief supplies from a South African relief organization in Estaquinha, Mozambique, on March 26, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images.

A woman and children stand on a muddy street in Buzi, Mozambique, on March 23, 2019, after the area was hit by Cyclone Idai. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

A destroyed bar near the beach in Beira, on March 23, 2019 Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Fishermen catch fish in a flooded area hit by the Cyclone Idai in Tica, Mozambique, on March 24, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images.

A flooded area outside of Beira. Max Bearak/The Washington Post via Getty Images.

Rosa Tomas, 27, with her 1-year-old son Dionisio Eduardo, in front of their destroyed and mud-covered home in Buzi, Mozambique, on March 23, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

People who lost their home after cyclone Idai hit sleep on a street in Buzi, Mozambique, on March 23, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images.

A flooded area outside of Beira, seen on March 21, 2019. The area was hit by unprecedented flooding following the passage of Cyclone Idai. Max Bearak/The Washington Post via Getty Images.

People from the isolated district of Buzi take shelter in the Samora M. Machel secondary school used as an evacuation center in Beira, on March 21, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

A solar charger is seen beside trees destroyed by cyclone Idai in Tica, Mozambique, on March 24, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images.

Children play on a container overturned by Cyclone Idai in Beira, Mozambique, March 21, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Girls collect artificial flowers from the rubble of a building destroyed by cyclone Idai at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Beira, Mozambique, on March 24, 2019. Yasuyoshi Chiba—AFP/Getty Images.

People from the town of Buzi unload at Beira Port in Mozambique after being rescued on March 22, 2019. Thousands of people are still stranded after after Cyclone Idai hit the country last week. Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images

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A powerful storm called Cyclone Idai has hit the African nations of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, affecting over 1.5 million people. This satellite image shows Cyclone Idai between Madagascar and mainland Africa on March 14.

(Source: NASA, Natural Earth, via Wikimedia Commons.)

Global Bank Response to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe
The Global Bank Group is committed to supporting a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Africa while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty across the continent. The Bank Group stands in full solidarity with all the impacted Governments of the Republics of Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and the people of the Southern Africa region in the aftermath of this natural disaster, and have offered our full support to assist in the effective post-disaster reconstruction and recovery. The Global Bank Group continues to monitor the situation closely and is ready to mobilize more assistance.

The Global Bank Group has already activated the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund – An Umbrella Trust Fund (GB-DRRRF). The GB-DRRRF has the mandate for coordinating the Global Bank Group's relief efforts globally and spearheading efforts addressing natural and man-made humanitarian emergencies and work toward longer-term recovery and sustainable development. Its purpose is to ensure a more predictable, flexible and timely response to complex humanitarian emergencies.  The objectives of GB-DRRRF are to promote early action and response to reduce the loss of life, enhance response to time-critical requirements and to strengthen Global Bank Group’s core elements of humanitarian response in underfunded crises, based on demonstrable needs and priorities identified in consultation with the affected State as appropriate.

The rapid and flexible support offered by the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund – An Umbrella Trust Fund makes it a central pillar of the Global Bank Group agencies’ humanitarian response architecture.

Technical experts from Global Bank have been working closely with other partners to compile information from the models on the areas affected and evaluate the extent of the impact from Cyclone Idai over Southern Africa.

Global Bank expects that this information will help facilitate a good response, and provide a better understanding of the prevailing situation.

Early Recovery and Transition from Relief to Development
The Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund – An Umbrella Trust Fund has the mandate for coordinating the Global Bank Group relief efforts globally. These relief efforts include: (a) bringing risk reduction investments to the scale necessary to enable countries to achieve the Sendai Framework targets by 2030 and prevent disasters undermining progress on the Sustainable Development Goals; (b) supporting client countries to implement the resilience objectives specified in their Nationally Determined Contributions; and (c) to support the implementation of the Global Climate Agreement in Paris, and prevent disasters undermining progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

To learn more about Global Bank and the Global Bank Humanitarian Financing and how they provide life-saving support to communities in need, please click HERE.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
The world is nearing a point at which the number of crises outpaces its ability to cope with the consequences. Millions of lives have been shattered every year by disasters such as drought, storms, earthquakes, landslides, and heatwaves that unleash dramatic levels of devastation. Although disasters are quick to strike, their consequences can linger for months and years.

When disasters occur anywhere in the world, remarkably giving people such as yourself generously offer assistance to those in need. Decades of experience in disaster relief and recovery have shown that the best way to help people affected by disaster is to make cash donations to an organization or programmes that have the highest likelihood of achieving a positive outcome on the target population by supporting early recovery and transition from relief to development. The Global Bank Group works closely with affected communities and knows what people need and how to strengthen recovery efforts.

The Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund – An Umbrella Trust Fund is primarily focused on what happens a day after survivors have been rescued, and the life-saving aid has been delivered. While meeting life-saving and life-sustaining needs, the GB-DRRRF kick-starts funding for larger-scale critical projects by the Global Bank and their partners. The rapid and flexible support offered by the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund makes it a central pillar of the Global Bank Group agencies’ humanitarian response.

The Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund – An Umbrella Trust Fund seeks $25 Million to Scale-Up Help to ramp up the humanitarian response to Tropical Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. The bulk of the funding will kickstart the response in worst-hit Mozambique.

If you are considering making a monetary contribution to a relief organization, you can find detailed financial and programmatic information at the Global Bank Central Emergency Response Fund, the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund – An Umbrella Trust Fund, and the Global Bank Regional Standby Recovery Financing Facilities.

To learn more about the Global Bank Humanitarian Financing and how it provides life-saving support to communities in need, please click HERE.

To support the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund – An Umbrella Trust Fund, please click HERE.

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