Over the past few weeks we have been seeing the harrowing images of destruction and disaster in southern Africa caused by Cyclone Idai. Our thoughts and prayers are with the millions in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Madagascar who have been affected by Cyclone Idai. The devastation this storm has caused deserves our attention and support.
The region had been experiencing increased rainfall since March 4th when heavy rains began hitting Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Madagascar, causing serious damage and destruction to homes and farms. A few days later, Tropical Cyclone Idai formed and made landfall during the night in Mozambique. For two-weeks, it took a journey of mass destruction tearing through Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, and causing catastrophic damage with whole towns left destroyed or underwater. The worst of the flooding has been in Mozambique, where rivers flow downstream from neighboring countries. It has led to a loss of more than $1 billion worth of damage.
This cyclone has been described as the deadliest storm system this year, and the UN has also stated that it may be the worst disaster to ever strike the southern hemisphere. Cylone Idai has affected an estimated 3 million people across the region, with more than 750 deaths and hundreds more missing (many families have yet to hear from their loved ones). Due to flooding and significant damage to infrastructure, thousands of people are still trapped in their homes and communities in some of the areas. Hundreds of thousands of others have been made homeless due to this natural disaster.
The situation is expected to exacerbate in the next few weeks because communities remain at risk due to the spread of diseases such as cholera and malaria. In addition, food security will become an issue since crops and reserves were destroyed by the flooding.
To make matters worse, some of the areas affected are bracing themselves for more rainfall which is expected in the near future which will impact the ability for people to rebuild their lives. Assistance is still needed even though the media attention is decreasing.
Southern African Community USA stands in solidarity with our region during this time. We are supporting the individual efforts of Diaspora organizations and members of our communities as they assist. Our communities are responding by hosting fundraisers, making direct donations to emergency relief agencies and also by partnering with local or international agencies to provide emergency relief aid. The assistance will go towards immediate relief as well as provide the financial resources to help people rebuild their lives in the long run.
We would like to bring to your attention the following campaigns by the Diaspora communities that we work with. If you would like to donate to one of the country specific Diaspora initiatives see below:
- Malawi: https://www.gofundme.com/malawifloodrelief2019
- Mozambique: https://www.gofundme.com/cyclone-idai-fundraiser-for-mozambique
- Zimbabwe: https://www.gofundme.com/zimbabwe-cyclone-relief
For more information about the impacts of Cyclone Idai, see: USAID: Cyclone Idai FactSheet
(Source: https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2019-000021-moz , https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/cyclone-idai-quick-facts ,https://qz.com/africa/1579175/cyclone-idai-before-and-after-images-of-mozambiques-beira/ ).