Tropical Cyclone Jude: Flash Update on Current Situation in Mozambique
Tropical Cyclone Jude made landfall in Mozambique on March 10, 2025, posing significant risks to 780,000 people due to high winds and heavy rains. The impacted areas, particularly Nampula and Zambezia provinces, already face challenges from prior cyclones and an active cholera situation. Early response efforts have been mobilized but are limited by resource constraints, affecting overall humanitarian capacity.
On March 10, 2025, Tropical Cyclone Jude struck the Mossuril district in Nampula province with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h, creating severe conditions with gusts reaching 195 km/h. According to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD), an estimated 780,000 individuals face high risks due to destructive winds and heavy rains, particularly in Nampula and Zambezia provinces. A flooding alert has been issued for key rivers in the affected areas by the Hydrological Department in Nampula.
The Mozambique Anticipatory Action (AA) Framework for Cyclones has been activated, allowing rapid disbursement of funds from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to facilitate early humanitarian response activities three days prior to the cyclone’s landfall. However, the humanitarian response system is currently overstretched, responding to two recent cyclones—Chido in December 2024 and Dikeledi in January 2025—as well as ongoing challenges such as cholera outbreaks, food insecurity, and political instability. The funding for the Tropical Cyclones Flash Appeal stands at only 0.2 percent.
Cyclone Jude made landfall at 06:00 local time and is predicted to result in heavy rainfall exceeding 250 mm within 24 hours, alongside thunderstorms that can lead to floods in Nampula, Zambezia, Cabo Delgado, and Sofala provinces as per forecasts from the WFP ADAM flood report. Flooding alerts have been issued for key river basins in Nampula, and localized flooding has already been reported in districts such as Nacala and Ilha de Moçambique.
Field assessments indicate that the cyclone has damaged homes and essential public infrastructure, including roads, electricity, and communication lines. Teams from INGD and IOM-DTM are pre-deployed in various districts to conduct rapid needs assessments where access is possible. Approximately 780,468 people are at significant risk across the cyclone’s trajectory, with Nampula province housing 508,167 affected individuals and Zambezia an additional 272,302.
Moreover, cholera cases are escalating in Nampula and Zambezia provinces, with 36 and 8 reported cases respectively within the past 24 hours. The cholera situation has worsened due to damaged health and WASH facilities from previous cyclones, combined with misinformation and community violence towards health workers exacerbating the response efforts. Flooding and population displacements due to evacuations may further spread cholera into new regions.
Tropical Cyclone Jude marks the third cyclone to impact Mozambique within the last three months, following Cyclones Chido and Dikeledi, which collectively have affected 684,000 residents in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula. The ongoing humanitarian response has only managed to assist 14 percent of the targeted population across four districts, with many still struggling to recover from the previous disasters.
In conclusion, Tropical Cyclone Jude has posed significant threats to Mozambique, particularly affecting Nampula and Zambezia provinces, which are already battling challeges from earlier cyclones and ongoing emergencies. Despite early mobilization efforts through the Anticipatory Action Framework, the humanitarian system’s capacity is under extreme strain due to various concurrent crises. With the potential for increased cholera cases and substantial destruction resulting from the cyclone, providing effective humanitarian aid remains an urgent priority.
Original Source: reliefweb.int
