On 23 April, Tropical Cyclone Kenneth formed north of Madagascar and east of the Aldabra Atoll, north of the Mozambique Channel. Its path is expected to pass over the northern tip of the Comoros islands on 24 April and continue onward to northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania. It is expected to make landfall in the district of Palma in Mozambique on 25 April...The Global Disaster Alert Coordination System (GDACS) has issued an orange alert for the Cyclone, meaning a medium humanitarian impact is expected based on the storm strength and its forecasted path. According to UNOSAT, the entire population of Comoros (758,339) is within the Cyclone’s windspeed zones, with Grand Comore the primary concern. In Mozambique, more than 747,000 people are living within the Cyclone’s path, mainly in Cabo Delgado Province, including a projected 117,000 living in high wind speed zones. (OCHA, 24 Apr 2019).
The official death toll from the impact of Tropical Cyclone Kenneth in northern Mozambique has risen to 38 people, according to the Government. Nearly 35,000 houses have either been partially destroyed (32,034) or totally destroyed (2,930), according to the Government ... More than 570 mm of rain has been recorded since 25 April in Pemba, the highest in Cabo Delgado. (OCHA, 29 Apr 2019).
More than 27,000 people have been reached with food assistance since Cyclone Kenneth made landfall on 25 April 2019. International deliveries of shelter supplies began to arrive in Pemba on 1 May 2019; more flights are scheduled in the days ahead. The number of people affected by Tropical Cyclone Kenneth has risen to more than 384,800, with an estimated 185,000 people affected in Comoros and at least 199,836 affected in Mozambique. The risk of water-borne diseases is high, with many areas still without access to clean water following the cyclone. (OCHA, 2 May 2019).
From 9 to 17 September, in close coordination with Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC), IOM DTM (Displacement Tracking Matrix) teams conducted baseline assessments at locality level (localidade), the findings were as follows (IOM,INGC, 27 Sep 2019):
- All the affected population remain within the same locality;
- In Cabo Delgado, reported a displaced population who have not returned to their locality of origin estimated at around 1,000 individuals and 200 households;
- More than 160,000 people whose homes were affected by shelter damage have stayed inside their locality;
- The number of returned populations who have returned to their locality of origin represents nearly 2,500 people and around 500 households.