Tropical Storm Ana in Mozambique
Tropical Storm Ana made a landfall on central and northern Mozambique on 24 January. It has affected 5 provinces (Nampula, Zambezia, Tete, Niassa, Sofala and Manica) with Tete, Zambezia and Nampula most heavily impacted.
- Português
- English
Storm Details
(Last updated: 27.01.2022)
Tropical Storm Ana made landfall on central and northern Mozambique on 24 January. It has affected 5 provinces (Nampula, Zambezia, Tete, Niassa, Sofala, and Manica) with Tete, Zambezia, and Nampula most heavily impacted
The powerful storm caused floods, damaged homes as well as public infrastructure, including bridges, powerlines, schools, water systems, and health facilities.
Reports thus far indicate that more than 120,000 people have been affected. And we expect these figures to rise in the coming days (there are a few areas still cut off). (If needed: 20 people have died and 196 have been wounded.
More than 23,400 homes have been partially or totally destroyed or flooded
13 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed
543 classrooms (249 schools) have been damaged or destroyed, affecting more than 46,000 students. The new school year starts on Monday so we are particularly concerned about children’s ability to resume schools (provides structure, safe spaces, learning)
10,814 people who have been displaced and are currently hosted in 20 host centers in Zambezia, Nampula, and Tete:
These figures are expected to increase as teams on the ground are still assessing the situation.
Given that Mozambique is in the midst of the rainy season, the situation could deteriorate quickly if another tropical depression or cyclone brings significant additional rains to already full rivers and dams. We are watching one to the east of Madagascar now.
Latest news
UNICEF Response
We are working together with the Mozambican government and our partners to provide life-saving assistance to children and their families in the affected areas.
UNICEF deployed staff to Tete Province and additional staff to help field colleagues based in Nampula and Quelimane provinces to conduct a needs assessment.
UNICEF is working with the Mozambican government and partners to provide life-saving assistance to children and their families in the affected areas.
This assistance includes:
- essential water and sanitation supplies such as buckets, soap and water purification tablets,
- support for health centres
- set up temporary learning spaces where children whose schools have been damaged/destroyed can learn and play safely
- sharing protective and preventive messages to mitigate the impact of the storm through provincial and local radios, multimedia mobile units and SMS
- ready-to-use therapeutic food
UNICEF estimates that it will need at least US$ 3.5 million to respond to the immediate needs of the populations affected by Tropical Storm Ana in Mozambique. We are using our prepositioned supplies and mobilizing funds, but assistance is needed.
Climate Change
This latest storm to hit Mozambique is a blunt reminder that the climate crisis is very much a reality and children are most impacted by climate-related severe weather events.
This latest storm to hit Mozambique is a blunt reminder that the climate crisis is very much a reality and children are most impacted by severe weather events.
Let’s not forget that this country has been hit by two major Cyclones in 2019 – Cyclones Idai and Kenneth – in the timespan of 6 weeks and which affected 2.5 million people.
According to the disaster risk assessment tool INFORM, Mozambique ranks 9 out of 191 countries globally due to the country’s high vulnerability to hazards, exposure to risks, and coping capacity.
We have plenty of research that shows that as global temperatures increase, extreme weather events become more frequent and more intense.
Climate change is having a great impact on children. Climate-related crises are causing forced displacement, disruption of schooling, and increased child labour, and contributing to increased violence. They are directly affecting children’s health due to deteriorating sanitation and compromised access to clean water, and forcing children to fetch water in ever-more remote locations