Mozambique: Recovering and rebuilding four months after Cyclone Chido

The aftermath of the disaster

On December 15, 2024, Cyclone Chido hit Mozambique. Torrential rain and winds swept across the country, impacting more than 450,000 people and claiming 120 lives. In the three northern regions of the country, the material damage was considerable, with more than 70,000 homes, 52 health centers, and 250 schools partially or completely destroyed¹.

As well as private homes, a lot of public infrastructure was badly damaged, and access to water quickly became one of the main challenges for communities. As it was the height of the rainy season, the lack of drinking water and damage to the public sewage system increased the risk of waterborne diseases, such as cholera.

Given the urgency of the situation, a rapid humanitarian response was put in place.

Taking people with disabilities into account

People with disabilities are always hit hardest by disasters such as Cyclone Chido because prevention information, shelter, and relief are typically neither inclusive nor accessible. Paying special attention to the situation of people with disabilities and providing them with targeted support is therefore essential when deploying emergency aid. This is why HI's teams have been working with various stakeholders to identify people with disabilities affected by the cyclone and address their needs.

They have trained 12 community activists and leaders in inclusion and disability to enable them to identify people in their own community, and trained health professionals in caring for people with disabilities. As a result, more than 900 people with disabilities have been identified as being in need of assistance, and several hundred of them have accessed support from HI.

Responding to the emergency: physical and psychological care and disease prevention

In the first few weeks following the cyclone, HI deployed mobile teams to reach people in remote areas away from the major urban centers, where many of those affected were still without assistance. Our teams provided 129 people with mobility aids like crutches, wheelchairs, and walking sticks, enabling them to move around more easily, go to the market, or return to work.

A further 394 people with disabilities and their families received hygiene kits, including soap, hand sanitizer, and sanitary towels. While handing out these kits, the teams provided information on the risks of the spread of certain diseases and the preventive measures to take, such as washing hands with soap several times a day.

Finally, as the losses caused by a cyclone often have a traumatic effect, HI has also run mental health and psychosocial support sessions for roughly thirty people and provided support to groups of caregivers of people with disabilities, who have had to cope with additional stress caused by the situation.

Preparing for the future: anticipating and mitigating risk

Because of its geographical location, Mozambique is hit by cyclones of varying intensity every year. It is therefore vital to anticipate and prepare for future disasters, which are likely to be even more devastating because of climate change.

To do so, HI has developed disaster risk reduction activities with communities to help them prepare for emergencies and plan risk mitigation measures. These activities involve widely disseminating best practices, setting up safe and accessible shelters, and preparing emergency stocks of essential products for rapid distribution.

OCHA March 2025