The National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD) reported that more than 75,000 people are currently sheltered in 76 accommodation centers, adding that over 723,000 people have been affected by the floods recorded in the country during January, particularly in the southern region, as well as 23 fatalities.
According to updated data released this Wednesday, February 4, and reported by Lusa, the floods have already affected more than 170,000 families. There have also been 145 injuries and nine people reported missing, in addition to 3,555 houses partially destroyed, 832 completely destroyed, and another 165,000 flooded.
Recently, the government estimated that at least $644 million will be required to repair the damage caused by the heavy rains recorded over the past 20 days, which resulted in floods and inundations. Among the main losses is damage to about three kilometers of National Road Number 1 (N1), the main highway linking Mozambique from north to south, a situation that has worsened difficulties in the movement of people and the distribution of essential goods.
Beyond the N1, other roads have suffered destruction over a stretch exceeding 1,336 kilometers, according to the preliminary assessment carried out by authorities as part of the emergency response.
The government’s plan also предусматриes the adoption of resilient reconstruction as a binding principle, ensuring that infrastructure to be rehabilitated or built is prepared to withstand extreme weather events, as well as the integration of preventive and permanent planning as a pillar of public governance. The European Union, the United States of America, Angola, Portugal, Norway, Japan, and South Africa have already announced and sent emergency humanitarian aid.
At the end of last year, the government approved the national contingency plan for the 2025–26 rainy season, valued at 14 billion meticais. However, it acknowledged that it currently has only 6 billion meticais of the required funds.
Mozambique is in the midst of the rainy season, a period marked by alerts for heavy rains and strong winds, especially in the central and southern regions of the country, with authorities activating anticipatory measures against floods and inundations in those areas.
The country is considered one of the most severely affected by climate change, cyclically facing floods and tropical cyclones. During the most recent rainy period (2024–25), Mozambique was hit by Cyclones Chido, Dikeledi, and Jude, which caused at least 313 deaths, injured 1,255 people, and affected more than 1.8 million.
Extreme events caused at least 1,016 deaths in Mozambique between 2019 and 2023, affecting around 4.9 million people, according to data from the National Statistics Institute.
Source: Diário Económico
