Mozambique: Tropical Storm Ana (update 30 Jan 2022)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tropical storm Ana affected 126,198 people, injured 210 people, and killed at least 21 people, mostly in Zambezia, Nampula, and Tete provinces.
• Serious concerns persist about the impact of the storm on highly vulnerable people and the limited resources available to respond to the unfolding needs. 
• In-depth multisectoral needs assessments are ongoing, jointly with response efforts by INGD. Agencies have prepositioned stocks to begin distributions in the coming days, once the results of the assessments are known. 
• High alert remains for the low-pressure system, named Batsirai, which has recently evolved into a Tropical Cyclone with winds up to 150km/h and gusts up to 215km/h, as it moves towards Mauritius.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

On 24 January, tropical storm Ana made landfall in Angoche district, Nampula province, significantly affecting the provinces of Zambezia, Nampula and Tete and to a lesser extent Niassa, Sofala and Cabo Delgado.

To date, the storm has affected 126,198 people, injured 210 people, and killed at least 21 people. It has also damaged 30 health centers, 23 water supply systems, and 144 power poles, according to the latest data released by INGD. The storm also flooded a total of 37,930 hectares of crops, with serious concern about the impact on food security, and reportedly affected 249 schools, destroying 543 classrooms and affecting some 46,777 students.

Tete province experienced extensive flooding, mostly affecting the districts of Doa, Zumbu, Tete and Mutarara, impacting on a total of 21,325 people. The bridge over the Rovubue river, between Tete Sede and Moaztize, collapsed. In Nampula, the most impacted areas are Liupo, Monapo, Moma and Nacala districts, with several road connections being cut by the water. In this province, the storm has impacted 26,019 people, while seven health centers, 64 classrooms, and 2,252 hectares of crops have been lost. In Zambezia, the districts of Milange, Mocuba, Maganja da Costa, and Lugela have been reported as the most affected, impacting 58,414 people. Moreover, the Licungo River exceeded the alert level, causing moderate to high flooding and strongly limiting road access in several areas.

Following the passage of tropical storm Ana, serious concerns about its residual impact and the formation of another low-pressure system named Batsirai, remain. The new system which formed over the Indian Ocean on 26 January, has recently evolved into a tropical cyclone with winds up to 150km/h and gusts up to 215km/h. According to the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM), the tropical cyclone Batsirai is currently moving towards Mauritius and the east coast of Madagascar, with the high potential of becoming an intense tropical cyclone over the next days.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.