Tropical Cyclones Idai and Kenneth - Mozambique

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Tropical Cyclones

Idai and Kenneth - Mozambique 2019

Tropical cyclone Idai made landfall on the evening of 14th March 2019 in Central Mozambique. With strong winds exceeded 220 km/h followed by heavy rainfall, the cyclone caused widespread flooding and left devastation in its wake - homes, schools and hospitals were ripped apart, whole communities were cut off and agricultural land was completely submerged. An estimated 400,000 people had been displaced, and more than 1.5 million have been affected.

On 25 April 2019, just six weeks after Cyclone Idai, Cyclone Kenneth made landfall in Northern Mozambique. This was the first time on record that two cyclones of such strength have struck in the same season in Mozambique. Aerial assessments show how many villages were wiped out.

Before the two cyclones hit the country, Mozambique was already facing high levels of food insecurity, due to drought conditions in many southern and central areas of the country. Thousands of children were already chronically or acutely malnourished, the further devastation of agricultural land have led to significant loss of income, as well as depletion of food resources, putting children and their families at risk of hunger and severe acute malnutrition. The contamination of water sources, damaged sanitation systems and large areas of standing water have created perfect conditions for disease like Cholera and Malaria to spread fast.

A 5-year-old girl standing outside Save the Children’s child friendly space in a camp for displaced people in Sofala province – Mozambique.

A house damaged by the wind and flood waters on the island of Ibo, where up to 90% of the houses have been damaged or destroyed.

Celina 22-year-old mother of two, with her 6-year-old daughter Lisha, standing on the ruins of their house few weeks after cyclone Kenneth hit their hometown in Northern Mozambique. The forceful winds turned the whole town upside down, took away their roof and destroyed parts of their walls, leaving them in the open facing the wind that exceeded 200 KM/h. The family managed to shelter in a neighbour’s house until the wind calmed down.

A house damaged by the wind and flood waters on Ibo island Northern Mozambique, where up to 90% of the houses have been damaged or destroyed.

A 70-year-old grandmother from the Quirimbas Islands trying to fix what was left of her roof after cyclone Kenneth hit her hometown and destroyed/damaged almost all houses.