Cyclone Chido has claimed at least 73 lives in northern Mozambique, with over 180,000 people displaced and widespread destruction reported across Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa, according to updated figures from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGD), Morocco’s News Agency (MAP) reported.
The storm, which struck on December 15, has left more than 500 injured, destroyed 23,931 homes, and damaged another 12,276.
It also affected 48 healthcare facilities, disrupting medical services and raising concerns about access to treatment and supplies.
Education has not been spared, with 598 classrooms either partially or completely destroyed, threatening the schooling of over 15,000 students.
Temporary shelters housing 4,169 people have been set up, with food aid provided by INGD and its partners.
Although devastating, Chido’s impact in Mozambique pales compared to the catastrophic toll in Mayotte, an island in the Indian Ocean, where at least 1,000 lives were lost.
In response, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has allocated USD 4 million in emergency aid to support recovery efforts in the region.