A weather system that produced heavy rains flooded parts of Malawi in early March 2019, before developing into Cyclone Idai which struck Mozambique and Zimbabwe on 14-16 March 2019. The flooding and damage destroyed homes and caused widespread devastation. Beira, in central Mozambique, was the hardest hit by the cyclone, with 80 per cent of the city in ruins.
In the wake of the disaster, we sent teams to assess and respond to the medical and humanitarian needs, and arrange for the mass transport of essential supplies.
We scaled up our activities in response to cases of cholera that were declared in Mozambique in the weeks after the disaster; at the peak, our teams were treating around 200 cases of suspected cholera per day. MSF teams wrapped up cyclone-related activities in May 2019.
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Cyclone Idai and floods hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe
"A city of 500,000 inhabitants... destroyed." Hear how MSF responded to catastrophic flooding after Cyclone Idai tore through Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.