Mozambique: Cyclone Chido impacts 90,000 children

Current assessments show the storm destroyed or damaged over 35,000 homes, displaced thousands of families, and impacted more than 90,000 children, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

Classrooms destroyed; infrastructure damaged

According to the latest situation report, at least 174,000 people have been impacted overall but numbers may increase as assessments continue.

In addition to homes damaged, at least 186,000 classrooms were destroyed, and 20 health facilities hit, after the storm made landfall on Sunday.

Cyclone Chido hit close to the city of Pemba in Cabo Delgado, blowing away roofs, damaging civilian infrastructure, and leveling electricity and communication systems.

“Mozambique is considered one of the most affected countries in the world by climate change and children were already experiencing several life-threatening emergencies before Cyclone Chido, including conflict, drought, and disease outbreaks,” said Mary Louise Eagleton, UNICEF Representative in Mozambique.

UNICEF – along with other UN agencies, the government, NGOs and local partners – is “responding and prioritizing decisive actions for emergency humanitarian action despite the enormous challenges children face in Mozambique”, Ms. Eagleton added.

Seven years of conflict

Cabo Delgado has endured at least seven years of brutal conflict, leading to more than 1.3 million people becoming internally displaced, 80 per cent of them women and children.

For many, Cyclone Chido has caused renewed hardship, washing away what little they had managed to rebuild, according to UN agencies in the region.

The cyclone also tore through Nampula and Niassa provinces, leaving over 25,000 families without electricity and damaging two water facilities.

In a region already fighting a cholera outbreak, the latest devastation creates an ominous likelihood that the outbreak will further deteriorate, UNICEF added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has experts on the ground in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, supporting authorities to conduct health assessments to identify and address immediate needs.

Affected rural areas

Within the first 48 hours, UN refugee agency, UNHCR, provided aid to those in need in Pemba, where more than 2,600 people received emergency relief and essential items such as blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, and emergency shelter supplies.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday in Geneva, UNCHR’s spokesperson Eujin Byun said that “while the full extent of the damage in rural areas remains unclear, preliminary assessments suggest that around 190,000 people urgently need humanitarian assistance, 33 schools have been affected and nearly 10,000 homes were destroyed. In some villages, very few houses remain standing”.

UN standing ready

Posting on X, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that UN teams in the region are helping deliver emergency assistance, and that the organization stands ready to provide additional support as needed.

According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, limited supplies are hampering the response. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $4 million to Mozambique in support of the early humanitarian response.

With nearly 3.3 million people projected to be in “crisis” or higher levels of food insecurity in Mozambique next year, the World Food Programme (WFP) added that the agency would be scaling up to help those most affected by the cyclone.

Other affected areas

Cyclone Chido also caused significant devastation in Mayotte, a French overseas territory, resulting in fatalities, infrastructure damage, and increased risks for vulnerable communities, including asylum-seekers and refugees, added UNHCR.

And in southern Malawi, the storm brought strong winds and rains leading to destruction of houses and infrastructure in several areas. The agency is actively monitoring the situation and coordinating with local partners.