The aftermath of the disaster
On 15 December 2024, Cyclone Chido hit Mozambique. Torrential rain and winds of more than 120 km/h swept across the country, impacting more than 450,000 people and claiming 120 lives. In the three northern regions of the country, Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa, the material damage was considerable, with more than 70,000 homes, 52 health centres 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 water-borne 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 hardest hit by disasters such as Cyclone Chido because prevention information, shelter and relief are neither inclusive nor accessible. Paying special attention to the situation of disabled people and providing them with targeted support is therefore essential when deploying emergency aid, which 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 concerned in their community, and trained health professionals in caring for people with disabilities. As a result, more than 900 disabled people have been identified as being in need of assistance and several hundred of them have received support from HI.
Responding to the emergency: physical and psychological care and disease prevention
In the first few weeks, HI deployed mobile teams to reach people in remote areas away from the major urban centres, where many of those affected were still without assistance. Our teams provided 129 people with crutches, wheelchairs or 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, hydro-alcoholic gel and sanitary towels. While handing out these kits, the teams provided information on the risks of propagation 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 can have a traumatic effect, HI has also run mental health and psychosocial support sessions for thirty or so people and provided support to groups of caregivers of people with disabilities, who have had to cope with the additional stress caused by the situation.
Preparing for the future: anticipating and mitigating risks
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.
HI has thus chosen to develop disaster risk reduction activities with communities to help them prepare for emergencies and plan risk mitigation measures. These activities involve widely disseminating good practice, setting up safe and accessible shelters and preparing emergency stocks of essential products for rapid distribution.
OCHA March 2025
