Tropical Cyclone Idai

Although Cyclone Idai never made landfall in Madagascar, rain bands from the storm dropped heavy rains over northwestern Madagascar for several days. These rains caused flooding and mudslides in the Besalampy district that killed three people, displaced 1,100 more and destroyed or damaged 137 houses.

Because Malawi is farther inland than Mozambique, it did not experience as much of a direct impact as other countries. Most of the effects of Cyclone Idai resulted from heavy rains and landslides. The rains were so heavy that they overwhelmed infrastructure and caused dams to collapse. During Idai’s second landfall, the overwhelming flooding damaged two hydroelectric plants, reducing Malawi’s hydroelectric capacity from 320MW to 50MW. Sixty people were killed and 672 were injured; more than 900,000 people were directly impacted by Cyclone Idai.

Cyclone Idai made landfall twice in Mozambique, the first time in the north of the country as a tropical depression, then later wreaking havoc across many parts of the rest of the country as a tropical cyclone. During the first landfall, heavy rains caused flooding in several provinces, resulting in 66 deaths and 111 injuries. The first landfall also damaged or destroyed over 20,000 homes, eight hospitals and 938 classrooms. The storm ruined approximately 420,000 acres of crops.

Idai’s second landfall in Mozambique was as a catastrophic tropical cyclone that caused immense damage across many areas of the country. A storm surge, combined with heavy rains, caused the destruction of approximately 1.7 million acres of crops that were almost ready to be harvested. Along with the flooding and rain, Idai brought strong winds that caused significant damage to buildings and infrastructure, as well as injuries and deaths due to flying debris.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that as of Sept. 14, 2019there were still 1.85 million people in need, including nearly hundreds of thousands still living in tents or damaged houses. More than 1.9 million people have been reached with WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) services and 1,100 classroom facilities have been repaired. Additionally, more than 1.9 million were reached with food assistance, 814,000 were vaccinated against cholera and 515,000 children were screened for malnutrition, however there is still much work to be done.

South Africa suffered minor impacts as a result of Cyclone Idai, some heavy flooding and water flows resulted in the deaths of seven people, while the loss of electrical infrastructure and interconnections between South Africa and other affected countries reduced the country’s electrical capacity while repairs were being made.

In Zimbabwe, the second landfall also brought heavy rains, especially in the Chimanimani District which saw eight-20 inches. There was extensive damage and destruction of bridges and roads in the region, causing isolation. In the town of Chipinge, 20,000 homes were damaged and 600 were destroyed. Overall, more than 600 people were killed and more than 200 were injured, with over 250,000 people affected throughout the country.