Tropical storm lashes on drought-affected areas; to impact estimated 750,000 people in Mozambique

Mbabane, Swaziland – As Tropical Storm Dineo lands the Mozambique Channel today, concerns were being raised on threats of widespread flooding on many areas in South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe that are still recovering from the long dry spell.

Based on the UN Flash Update, around 750,000 people from Mozambique’s Inhambane province who are living in the identified risk areas, while electricity supply in several villages and cities were partially without electricity. World Vision has no projects in the province but has started coordinating with partners to support immediate response work.

The heavy rains brought by the storm is also expected to cause flooding in the fertile Limpopo basin downstream in Gaza where World Vision has area development programs. Earlier, Mozambique National Director Graham Strong assured of the response team’s readiness to respond and prepositioned relief goods are on standby.

World Vision’s Humanitarian Emergency Affairs Director Joseph Kamara said, “Äfter a year of El Nino-induced drought that decimated food production in the region, this cyclone will aggravate the suffering of the poor who were just beginning to recover from the effects of the drought. The impact of the wind gusts and flood water will inundate and destroy acreages of food that was about to mature for harvest.”

Report from the South Africa Weather Service projected the maximum strength of winds at 70 knots or 130km per hour. The weather service report also warned of potentially causing much damage in coastal areas and inland infrastructure.

World Vision teams in the eastern region of Zimbabwe located at the border of Mozambique were advised to share the warning to communities they work with and coordinate with the government’s Civil Protection Department in the local level. Emmanuel Isch, National Director of World Vision Zimbabwe said, “World Vision is closely monitoring the path of cyclone Dineo and potential impacted areas in Zimbabwe. We are mindful of areas that have already been impacted in the region. Our team is on standby”.

In Swaziland, an estimated 14, 786 World Vision sponsored children are in the affected areas and are being closely monitored by the staff on the ground. “We have set up the Early Warning and Monitoring System and identified sentinel sites in all our areas of operation. No damages have been reported until today 12 noon”, said Thomas Okollah, Swaziland Response Manager.

Swaziland Country Programme Director Francis Dube further adds,“We are not taking any chances and putting all efforts in terms of planning on the ground. Assessments were made of our programmes in highly vulnerable areas and have since closed operations so as to safeguard our staff and assets.”

World Vision works in nine countries in Southern Africa including Angola, DR Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Four of these countries are on standby to respond for potentially destructive impact of Tropical Storm Dineo. The El Nino phenomenon has affected over 29 million people, close to 20 million of them in the four countries under serious threat from the tropical storm.

Regional Leader for Southern Africa Region Rudo Kwaramba said, “The response team in all four offices are now closely monitoring the situation, they are focused on determining the extent to which sponsored children, their families and communities may be impacted and the level of response that each office may need to mount.”

With reports from Antonio Matimbe (Mozambique), Thabile Maripe (Swaziland) and Munyaradzi Nkomo (Zimbabwe).