The government wants to mobilise financial resources with the aim of rebuilding more than 100,000 destroyed homes and re-establishing public services damaged by tropical cyclone Chido, which severely affected the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa. This mobilisation is being carried out in parallel with direct assistance to families and the work of the authorities, to guarantee a rapid and effective response to the most urgent needs of the affected population.
The information was given to the newspaper Noticias by the spokesman for the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD), Paulo Tomás, during the presentation of the assessment of the 2024 rainy and cyclone season.
Tomás emphasised that, in addition to the physical reconstruction of homes, the government is investing in the replacement of essential services, such as water systems and education infrastructures, which were severely damaged by the natural phenomenon.
According to preliminary data, Cyclone Chido caused the death of 118 people, affected more than 400,000 citizens and caused the total destruction of more than 70,000 homes. In addition, 10 water supply systems were cut off and more than a thousand animals, including cattle and goats, were lost. Around a thousand classrooms were also damaged in the three most affected provinces.
To respond to these needs, the government, in coordination with the Ministry of Land and Environment, INGD and the United Nations Human Settlements Organisation (UN-HABITAT), has begun a programme of requalification and redevelopment of the most devastated areas. This work aims not only to guarantee the reconstruction of homes, but also to empower communities to build more resilient housing capable of withstanding future natural disasters.
‘We’re working so that families can rebuild their homes more safely. The idea is that the new infrastructures have the necessary resistance to withstand the effects of future extreme weather events,’ said Paulo Tomás.
In addition, the government is guaranteeing the distribution of seeds and agricultural inputs to families who have lost their crops due to the storm. Support will also be extended to the distribution of work material for agricultural extension workers and small animals for farmers who have lost their livestock.
In the context of recovering education infrastructure, the government has already begun the process of rebuilding damaged schools. More than a thousand classrooms were destroyed, affecting thousands of pupils. Restoring the minimum conditions for a return to education in the most affected areas is a priority in the rehabilitation efforts.
The government’s response to Cyclone Chido has also been supported by international organisations, which have collaborated in raising funds and sending humanitarian aid. The rehabilitation of essential services and the reconstruction of homes are part of a wider response plan, the implementation of which will depend on the continued mobilisation of financial resources.
In the meantime, the government promises to step up its efforts to ensure that the affected communities regain access to essential public services, such as drinking water, health and education, which were damaged by the cyclone.
