The passage of Tropical Cyclone Chido through the district of Mecufi, in the Cabo Delgado province, northern of Mozambique, caused devastating and unforgettable impacts on the population's lives and essential economic sectors.
In livestock and fishing, for example, preliminary data released by INGD indicates the death of 1,302 livestock animals.
This includes cattle, goats, and poultry. In the fishing sector, nothing good remains. To date, 454 boats and 136 fishing gear have been destroyed, deeply affecting the livelihood of local communities. Fishing is one of the main activities of the population.
In Mecufi, winds reached 260 km/h on Saturday morning, with heavy rains of up to 250 mm in 24 hours. There were also severe thunderstorms. What we witnessed was a level of destruction no one had imagined.
Regarding infrastructure: conventional and local material houses
The consequences of Cyclone Chido resulted in the total destruction of 39,133 houses and damage to another 13,343. In addition, 250 schools and 52 health units were affected. The agricultural area was also not spared, with about 116 hectares of various crops destroyed.
The National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) has been providing assistance to the affected communities, and by Friday, December 20, over 1,349 people were sheltered in accommodation centers.
With very limited resources from INGD, the institution continues efforts to provide support to the homeless families and restore livelihoods in the most affected areas.
Population without radio, phone communication, and, even more, without electricity
As a result of this cyclone, the local community radio station was also destroyed, and currently, more than 60,000 listeners have been without access to information since December 14.
According to the Forum of Community Radios of Mozambique (FORCOM), the staff members of the same radio station also had their homes destroyed and are without shelter.
UNICEF on the ground
To assist the victims of Tropical Cyclone Chido, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) mobilized resources to help the victims of the three most affected districts: Mecufi, Chiúre, and Metuge.
According to an announcement on its digital platforms, the support consists of humanitarian assistance kits, including hygiene and sanitation items, essential medicines to support the district hospital and the Murebué health center, which were destroyed by the cyclone.
This intervention aims to minimize the impact of the cyclone on the affected people's lives.
So far, UNICEF has ensured support to Mecufi district with bar soap, covered buckets, calcium hypochlorite, tents, children's recreational kits, hygiene kits, and dignity kits.
Mecufi district also lacks electricity and mobile phone network coverage. However, many families are arriving in the city of Pemba, including government officials and state agents. (AA)
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