Mozambique is bracing for one of the strongest tropical cyclones to hit the country this season. Tropical Cyclone Gombe is anticipated to make landfall with heavy rains and strong winds according to the Mozambican National Meteorology Institute (INAM). Manuel Rodrigues, the Provincial Governor of Nampula has just called on people living in the high-risk zones to evacuate to safer areas.
Christine Beasley, CARE Country Director in Mozambique said: "Nampula province is where the Tropical cyclone is expected to make landfall. We have evacuated our staff from the more remote parts of the province (Memba District) and from Nacala which is predicted to take a direct hit. We have relocated them to the provincial capital, Nampula city, which is also predicted to be struck by heavy rains and wind. but the infrastructure and conditions are better. We are participating in coordination meetings with the INGD as we prepare to support response efforts after the Tropical cyclone passes."
This has been an intense cyclone season in Southern Africa that has led to several deaths, destruction of property, and infrastructure. Since the season started on 1st October 2021, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) 72 fatalities have been recorded as a result of tropical cyclones and flooding. People’s lives, especially women and girls, have been negatively impacted as extreme weather conditions disrupt their activities.
Chikondi Chabvuta, Southern Africa Advocacy Advisor with CARE International said, "This is the third tropical cyclone to hit Mozambique this year. How can communities be expected to recover and build resilience, when each time their efforts are being washed away? Adaptation measures do hold back the destruction of ecosystems, and there is a need for predictable, long-term financial support for adaptation in climate-vulnerable countries. But when, like in Mozambique, tropical storms and cyclones are coming with such frequency and intensity, communities are stretched beyond their adaptation measures. The losses and damages inflicted upon these people are immense, long-lasting, and in some cases irreversible, and this is made all the more unjust knowing how little Mozambique has contributed to the global carbon emissions crisis. There must be a finance facility to support the countries that are caught in this loop of destruction."
Mozambique may still feel the impact of Tropical Cyclone Gombe as heavy rains upstream could lead to flooding of rivers several days later after the Tropical Cyclone has passed.
In 2019, after Cyclone Idai made landfall, CARE in Mozambique supported 331,500 people with food supplies, shelter, and hygiene kits.