Spotlight on Mozambique: Facts and Figures for the Southern Hemisphere’s deadliest tropical cyclone to date.

The cyclone affected three states in southern Africa, but the highest death toll stands in Mozambique, where more than 600 people were killed. Hundreds of people are still recorded as missing across the region.

The storm caused massive destruction all throughout Mozambique. Local authorities reported that more than 1,600 people were injured due to falling debris, severe winds, and chaotic disorder from the people who were fleeing. The injured people have very minimal access to immediate aid.

With winds exceeding 105 mph, cyclone Idai damaged more than 240,000 houses; around 100,000 of these were left completely destroyed. The people whose houses were destroyed have been temporarily relocated to neighboring cities Manica, Sofala, Tete, and Zambezia.

The cyclone became a catalyst for serious health risks, most primary of which is cholera, a water-borne disease. It is often contracted through the consumption of unclean water. The severe flooding brought by cyclone Idai has limited access to clean, safe water and now, more than 3000 people in Mozambique are getting infected with the disease.

Approximately 1.8 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. They need food, shelter, and relief items, as their houses were destroyed and their basic needs are most limited. They are also in dire need of medical assistance, including cholera vaccination, because of the health situation in the area.

On March 28, UNHCR was able to join the UN-wide support for the three states by mobilizing its field staff and relief items. UNHCR airlifted a total of 240 MT of shelter and relief items from its global network of warehouses, and this landed in the capital of Mozambique early on March 28.

This number is continuously growing as operations of the UNHCR expand in the area. As of April 23, 200 families have already been moved closer to their homes from the evacuation sites.