Overall Green alert Flood
in Mozambique

Event summary

This flood can have a low humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.

GDACS ID FL 1101856
Death: 1
Displaced: 24000
Countries: Mozambique
From - To 08 Feb - 10 Feb

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Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
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Mozambique - Floods (ECHO 13 Feb 2023)Mon, 13 Feb 2023 11:31

  • In the past few days, heavy rainfall has been affecting southern Mozambique, particularly Maputo City, and Province, with flooding.
  • According to National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD), at least six people died and two others have been injured. About 36,770 individuals have been affected, of which nearly 20,000 are in Maputo City. Material damage includes 7,365 houses, 15 health centres, and 15 schools. Up to 17,740 ha of agricultural land has been flooded, impacting the provision of food in the area. 
  • On 13-14 February, light to moderate rainfall is forecast over most of Mozambique, while moderate to locally heavy rainfall is expected over Manica Province (central-western Mozambique).
  • Based od the request from the World Food Programme, the Copernicus Emergency Management System was activated in rapid mapping mode () on 9 February to support national authorities' emergency response with a damage assessment of the affected areas in the Maputo province.
Flood in Mozambique - JRC emergency reportSat, 11 Feb 2023 18:58

A new JRC Emergency report is now available
South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini - Floods (ECHO 14 Feb 2023)Tue, 14 Feb 2023 11:39

  • Heavy rainfall continues to affect eastern South Africa, Ewatini, and southern Mozambique, causing extensive flooding and resulting in humanitarian impact.
  • According to media reports, in South Africa, at least seven people died. Damage has been reported to infrastructure and agricultural land, and the national government declared a state of disaster in response to floods in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Northern Cape, and North West.
  • In Mozambique, the number of fatalities increased to seven, while a number of affected people reached 37,000 in Maputo City and Province, as reported by the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD). In the last 24 hours, authorities have rescued about 1,400 people in Boane, Magude, and Moamba Districts in Maputo Province, while 15,403 people have been rescued in the southern part of the country between 7 and 12 February. More than 7,000 houses, 15 health centres, and 15 schools have been damaged or destroyed by flooding. Authorities have begun discharges of the Pequenos Limbombos Dam located south of Maputo City. 
  • In Eswatini, nearly 260 people have been affected by floods, while extensive damage to some infrastructure, including six bridges, was reported across the country. 
  • On 14-15 February, moderate to locally heavy rainfall is forecast over most of eastern South Africa, most of Eswatini and central-western Mozambiuque.
South Africa, Mozambique - Floods update (ECHO 15 Feb 2023)Wed, 15 Feb 2023 11:29

  • Floods continue to affect eastern South Africa and southern Mozambique, resulting in an increased humanitarian impact.
  • In South Africa, at least 12 people have died, while extensive damage includes houses and infrastructure, particularly in Mpumalanga Province (north-east South Africa).
  • In Mozambique, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) reports nine fatalities, five missing people, and three individuals that sustained injuries. About 39,225 individuals have been affected across Maputo City and Province, while the number of displaced people stands at 14,792. Material damage in southern Mozambique includes 7,643 houses, 15 health centres, and 15 schools.
  • Copernicus Emergency Management System was activated in rapid mapping mode () on 9 February to support with damage assessment in Maputo Province.
  • On 15-16 February, moderate rain is expected over central and northern Mozambique, while moderate to heavy rain is forecast across central and eastern South Africa.
Maputo Province, Mozambique, February 2023Storms and heavy rain affected the city of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, and surrounding areas of Maputo Province on 08 February 2023. One person died and 2,400 families were affected, with roads and some homes reported damaged. A collision between a train and road vehicle in Matola municipality was blamed on poor visibility and severe weather. More flooding was expected in Maputo Province as water from flooded rivers in South Africa and Eswatini makes its way downstream. Local media said around 24,000 people are expected to evacuate from the lower areas of the Incomati and Umbelúzi rivers in Maputo province. On 09 February, Aguas do Sul, the government agency responsible for operating dams in the country, said it started to increase discharges at the Pequenos Libombos dam, situated near Muguene.Fri 10 Feb 2023FloodList provided by Copernicus GloFAS
Detailed event map. European Union, 2024. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

Latest media headlines

IJGI, Vol. 12, Pages 53: Multi-Temporal Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 .. 2/7/2023 2:13:00 PM.

Floods are one of the most frequent natural disasters worldwide. Although the vulnerability varies from region to region, all countries are susceptible to flooding. Mozambique was hit by several cyclones in the last few decades, and in 2019
...(more)
Mozambique: More than 500 people removed from flood risk areas in Zamb.. 1/17/2023 7:41:00 PM.

At least 500 people have been removed from areas at risk of flooding following the rise in the flow of the Licungo river in Zambézia, central Mozambique, the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) announced on
...(more)

Estimated casualties (PAGER)

USGS estimates the number of casualties for each earthquake for the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) product.
The graph shows the current fatalities estimate.

Exposed population

Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: EC-JRC (36), (2), NASA (4), DesInventar (1), WMO (1), INFORM (2),