Mozambique and Pula’s Hybrid Tropical Cyclone Product

Mozambique is one of Africa’s most vulnerable countries to climate change due to its geographical location and extended coastline of 2,500km. Large areas of the country are exposed to tropical cyclones, droughts, and flooding.

On March 15, 2019, Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall in the southern city of Beira, Mozambique, as a Category 2 storm. The long-lived storm brought with it heavy rains and strong winds that led to flash flooding and massive destruction of

property and crops– along with a loss of human lives. A little over five weeks later, a second tropical cyclone, Kenneth, struck 600 miles north of Idai’s

impact zone. These two cyclones became two of the top five worst storms to ever hit Mozambique. The United Nations estimated that the combination of both storms destroyed over US$873 million worth of buildings, infrastructure, and crops. This is a particularly harrowing number as agriculture is the

main economic sector in Mozambique, accounting for 24% of the country’s GDP, and employing 70% of the country’s population.

Whilst humanitarian agencies rallied its response and aid towards affected areas in Mozambique, it was soon evident that NGOs alone could not cope with the scale of the disasters. Further, the deployment and dispersal of funds was often slow; and dollars were spent on rescue missions, immediate recovery needs, and the rebuilding of infrastructure loss. There was no dedicated relief fund allocated to help farmers – the driving force of Mozambique’s economy – rebuild their livelihoods. Even less was invested on assisting farmers in proactively mitigating climate risks, building climate resilience, and adaptation.