Cyclone Chido leaves widespread destruction in Mozambique, death toll rises

Residents of Mecufi, located south of Pemba in northern Mozambique, began to rebuild their lives on Wednesday, December 18, after their homes were destroyed by Cyclone Chido over the weekend.

According to Nicholas Wassuna, UNICEF's chief field officer in Pemba, more than 90% of homes in the area were damaged or destroyed by the storm.

As of Wednesday morning, the official death toll in Mozambique has increased to 45, up from 34 a day earlier, according to government sources. In neighboring Malawi, the death toll rose to 13 after the storm passed through the French territory on the island of Mayotte and hit continental Africa.

Cyclone Chido, which struck northern Mozambique over the weekend, brought heavy rains and strong winds, causing widespread damage in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces. Thousands of people were displaced, homes were destroyed, and critical infrastructure, including roads and communication networks, was severely damaged, hampering relief efforts in areas that were already home to large numbers of displaced individuals.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed deep concern over the impact on vulnerable communities and is working closely with the Mozambican government and humanitarian partners to provide immediate assistance.

Within the first 48 hours of the storm, UNHCR responded by providing aid at Pemba's largest accommodation center, where more than 2,600 people received emergency supplies, including blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, and shelter materials. 

While the full extent of the damage in rural areas remains unclear, early assessments suggest that about 190,000 people urgently need humanitarian aid. Thirty-three schools have been affected, and nearly 10,000 homes were destroyed. In some villages, only a few houses remain standing.

Years of conflict, forced displacement, and economic hardship have left communities in the region highly vulnerable. For many displaced families, Cyclone Chido has worsened their plight, washing away what little they had managed to rebuild.

Ahead of the storm, UNHCR and its partners had pre-positioned emergency relief supplies and helped the government disseminate disaster preparedness messages across the affected provinces via TV, radio, WhatsApp, and hotlines. Local disaster management committees were also supported in prioritizing aid for the most vulnerable populations.

While some districts in Nampula were affected, the more than 8,000 refugees, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, living in Maratane camp, reported minimal damage. This suggests that recent efforts to build climate-resilient housing have been effective.