Mozambique: SADC states test response to natural disasters in Nacala

The exercise is taking place in the city of Nacala, in Nampula province, northern Mozambique, bringing together civil protection teams from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to test coordination and response mechanisms for floods and extreme rainfall, as part of a programme that will now be held every two years amongst member states. «Mozambique was chosen for this simulation given the country’s experience in emergency rescue and regional response,» said Luísa Meque, president of Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD), speaking to journalists in Nacala. According to Ms Meque, the exercise follows SADC’s regional protocols for responding to floods, cyclones and extreme rainfall, enabling procedures to be harmonised and cooperation between countries in the region to be strengthened in the face of natural disasters.

«This is an exercise that will take place every two years at SADC level; we hope that next year it will be one country or another, and in the following two years another country, where we will all go to take part in this simulation,» she added. She said that Mozambique is sharing the experience it has gained in using early warning systems and pre-emptive measures, which are considered essential for reducing loss of life and property before extreme events occur. «The lessons that we are sharing relate to early warning [and] early action,» she said, adding that «prevention is better than cure».

She added that the timely dissemination of information and raising awareness among communities enable the public to be better prepared to face the rainy season and respond more effectively to emergency situations. Mozambique is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, regularly facing floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which usually runs from October to April. The last rainy season in Mozambique killed 314 people, affected more than 1.078 million people and damaged nearly 260,000 homes, according to a previous update from the INGD.

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There are also reports of 19 people still missing and 361 injured. The January floods alone – the most severe in several years – caused 43 deaths, 147 injuries and nine people missing, affecting a total of 715,716 people. Meanwhile, Cyclone Gezani’s passage through Inhambane province on 13 and 14 February caused a further four deaths and affected 9,040 people, according to INGD data. Also affected during this rainy season were 9,735 kilometres of roads, 52 bridges and 237 aqueducts.

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