More climate challenges ahead for Mozambique and Malawi

Cyclone Chido has brought widespread devastation to northern Mozambique. It swept from the east coast of Africa to Mozambique and Malawi after hitting the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte in the Comoros archipelago on December 15. Thousands of people in the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces of Mozambique have been displaced.

In recent years, major storms  — Cyclone Freddy in 2023, Gombe in 2022 and Idai in 2019 — have battered Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Madagascar during southern hemisphere summer.

Chido's devastation highlights a broader trend of worsening weather patterns fueled by climate change. Southern Africa is experiencing more and more extreme weather patterns as global temperatures rise.

"It's all because with global warming, the temperatures on the Indian oceans are increasing more than normal. And that is creating a conducive environment for these cyclones to develop," Lucy Mtilatila, Director of Climate Change and Meteorological Services in Malawi, said.

"Right now, we are seeing that indeed climate change is affecting us. We used to have tropical cyclones affecting Malawi, but it was maybe once in 10 years. But right now, you can see the frequency," she told DW.

Concerns over long-term impact on affected African nations

Cyclone Chido unleashed heavy rains and winds of up to 260 km/h (160 mph), damaging buildings, uprooting trees, and plunging entire neighborhoods into darkness. Two fatalities were reported in the port city of Pemba in Cabo Delgado, and a three-year-old child was reported to have drowned in Nampula.

The National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) said more than 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain fell in just 24 hours, worsening conditions in an already vulnerable region. Humanitarian organizations have been quick to respond, but the need is immense.

"UNICEF is concerned about the immediate impact of this cyclone — the loss of life, the damage to schools, homes, and healthcare facilities," said Guy Taylor, a UNICEF representative in Mozambique.

"But we're also worried about the longer-term impacts: children potentially being cut off from learning for weeks, people unable to access healthcare, and the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera and malaria."

Emergency shelters have been set up for some 2,800 people in Pemba. But the true scale of the damage and displacement remained unclear. Officials said contact to some districts, such as Memba in Nampula Province, remained sparse due to power outages.

Extent of the damage not yet clear

Malawi and Mozambique are still trying to rebuild the infrastructure lost in the previous cyclones.

Luisa Meque, the head of Mozambique's National Institute for Risk and Disaster Management, estimates that Chido's intensity parallels that of Cyclone Freddy last year. But assessements are still ongoing, she told DW. 

In Malawi, schools were suspended across 15 districts amid the heavy rains and strong winds. The cyclone weakened as it moved inland toward Niassa Province and on to southern Malawi.

Mozambican officials said they were concerned about the storm's potential to exacerbate food insecurity and damage infrastructure.

"I don't have the records on how this has impacted the fields right now, but we know in some areas they haven't planted yet. We are waiting for the assessments," Mtilatila said.

Preparing long before a cyclone hits is key

Malawi appeared prepared to handle Cyclone Chido. 

"This time around, many institutions were ready. The health, education, and transport sectors, we are preparing," Mtilatila told DW.

The coordination between national and district-level teams was much stronger than it was when Cyclone Freddy struck. 

"We have so many sectors that are coming in to work together to respond to such kinds of disasters," Mtilatila said.

"[In] 2019, we were affected by Idai. In 2022, we were affected by Tropical Storm Ana and Tropical Cyclone Gomi. And then 2023, Tropical Cyclone Freddy. We haven't recovered yet. It's really tough for the communities to be resilient to these disasters right now.”

Mtilatila believes that greater emphasis needs to be placed on plans to relocate vulnerable communities, construct resilient infrastructure, and adapt farming practices: "Preparedness it's not only about when the cyclone is about to hit, but it's how we prepare ourselves when we are planning our settlements, for example. That's where we need to start from."

Outlook for the future

The Malawian government had ordered  food and relief supplies in advance of Cyclone Chido. The country, one of the least developed in the world, is facing drought and hunger. 

"Last year was not a good year for us because of El Nino, the harvest yields were not as good. So already people are struggling when it comes to access to food," Mtilatila told DW.

Meanwhile, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and ActionAid are among the organizations involved in relief efforts in Mozambique and Malawi. According to Guy Taylor, UNICEF representative, even more assistance is urgently needed. 

And with climate change increasing the frequency and severity of cyclones, experts are calling for greater international support to build resilience and address the root causes of global warming.

" As we are being impacted by these cyclones, we are learning a lot. So, as we are building back, we do it better so that we should not make ourselves vulnerable," Mtilatila told DW.

Edited by: Benita van Eyssen