CYCLONE IDAI

a) Nature, extent and pattern

Cyclone Idai originated from a tropical depression that formed off the east coast of Mozambique
on 4 March 2019. Idai brought strong winds and caused severe flooding in Madagascar,
Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Heavy rains fell across much of eastern Zimbabwe as the
cyclone meandered along the nation's border with Mozambique. The heaviest rains fell in the
Chimanimani District, with accumulations reaching 200–400 mm. Widespread flash flooding
followed as well as mudslides.

It claimed the lives of at least 634 people, 257 people went missing. and affected more than 270
000 others in Zimbabwe. Cyclone Idai caused an undespicable humanitarian crisis leaving
hundreds of thousands of people in urgent need of assistance across Zimbabwe. According to
global Catastrophe Recap, the total damages from Idai across Mozambique, Zimbabwe,
Madagascar, and Malawi were estimated to be at least $2.2 billion (2019 USD).

Chipinge and Chimanimani district were the hardest hit. Other areas were Nyanga, Masvingo
Buhera, Makoni, Mutare Rural, Bikita, Masvingo and Gutu.

b) MAP

 Geological location: all the hardest hit areas (Chipinge and Chimanimani are on the
eastern side of Zimbabwe, which is by geological location close to the indian ocean
where the cyclone came from, unlike places such as Hwange and Victoria falls.

 Low lying areas: low lying areas such as Masvingo are prone to floods. Water cannot
drain well hence flooding.
 Mountainous areas: in Chimanimani and Chipinge houses, schools and other
infrastructures were buried by mudslides because of its topography. Rubbles and mud
slid from the mountains.
c) Nature of early warning systems used to alert people

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert. From
then, several methods of warning system to the Zimbabwean public were made by responsible
bodies which include the Meteorological department of Zimbabwe, The civil protection Unit as
well as Non-governmental Organization. Prior to the onset of Cyclone IDAI information was
disseminated to the Zimbabwean community on the oncoming hazard. However, the
effectiveness of this early warning system information is heavily dependent on the recipient
perception on the issue. Also when it comes to cyclone IDAI dissemination of information, some
of the individuals heard whilst a large proportion do not have access to public information
systems such as radios, televisions etc. the meteorological department itself is under-funded and
hence its effectiveness in its operations is limited by financial means like any other department in
the country.

The public was warned through radio and TV stations. The MET department issued warnings
through ZTV and several radio stations across the country so that the citizens can prepare for the
disaster which followed. Although the information was conveyed, there was not enough time for
everyone to get the information and another communication breakdown was that, not everyone,
in rural areas had TV sets and radios.

The country’s Civil Protection Unit, which is part of Zimbabwe’s Local Government Ministry,
told people to move to higher ground through text messages. It was a case of being between a
rock and a hard place, as even those who sought refuge at high-lying areas were affected by
mudslides.

The public were also warned through social media. Information about the coming cyclone was
put on MET department’s website. Whatsapp was also used to spread the word, which Madhuku
(2019) wrote that as an organization they only managed to provide information on the cyclone by
word of mouth as well as social media, in this case What’s app, which is rarely taken seriously as
it is often seen as a gossip platform.

d) Pre-disaster response.

Early Warning System

The Meteorological department made early warning systems through the country’s main media
Radio Zimbabwe and the ZTV. People in lowland areas were warned, but because warnings
about flooding and rainfall are an annual occurrence during the rainy season, many people were
reluctant to move and didn't anticipate the extent to which the country would suffer. But
Zimbabwe's Minister of Defence, Oppah Muchinguri, has said her government failed to
anticipate its strength. (Goodman 2019). Nevertheless, it had a severe impact on the eastern
regions of the country. The local early warnings were largely based on information that few
individuals heard from news channels or from social media. Not everyone heard the news, others
didn’t have the information simply because there wasn’t much time.

Evacuation

As highlighted above, the government of Zimbabwe failed to anticipate the strength of cyclone
IDAI which made it reluctant to evacuate the people before it strikes. The people didn’t evacuate

because they didn’t take the early warning seriously. It was reported that on the day of concern,
people met in small groups discussing Cyclone Idai, but they had a feeling that, like other
previous events, the cyclone would just be an event in passing. This means the community had
generally developed a wait and see attitude and were only ready to take measures upon observing
the phenomenon. There also wasn’t much time for the evacuation.

e) Effects of the disaster on life, infrastructure and property and explanation how the
disaster and characteristics of the local area led to these effects.

Cyclone Idai had major impacts on life, infrastructure and property as compared to other
cyclones in Zimbabwe. The areas which were hit hard by this disaster had underlying conditions
which made the effects more severe as well as its vicious when it entered Zimbabwe.

Cyclone Idai had a major impact on lives of both human beings and animals in Zimbabwe.
Chatiza (2019) states that the storm and its subsequent flooding and landslides left 340 people
dead and many others missing. He went on to say that it affected more than 270,000 people. At
least 232 people were injured in Chimanimani.

The Chimanimani and Chipinge districts saw extensive damage with widespread flash flooding.
The Nyahonde River burst its banks and inundated numerous communities. Coote 2019 notes
that the destruction of several bridges and roads in eastern Chimanimani isolated many residents.
According to the BBC dated 19 March 2019, in the town of Chipinge, 600 houses have been
destroyed and 20,000 damaged. On 19 March, water overflowed the Marowanyati Dam in
Murambinda, along the Mwerahari River.

There are various companies that were destroyed as a result of cyclone Idai, these include
plantations, Border timbers and allied timbers in Zimbabwe. There was severe destruction of
agricultural fields, about 50 schools were destroyed, 5000 metres of water distribution network
was washed away, Electricity poles were destroyed

Cyclone Idai was one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa and the Southern
Hemisphere (Yuhas 2019). Masters (2019) says Cyclone Idai is the deadliest tropical cyclone
recorded in the South-West Indian Ocean basin. In the Southern Hemisphere, which includes the
Australian, South Pacific, and South Atlantic basins, Funes (2019) notes that Idai ranks as the
second-deadliest tropical cyclone on record and the only system with a higher death toll is the
1973 Flores cyclone that killed 1,650 off the coast of Indonesia. The cyclone’s peak intensity
sustained the maximum winds of 195 km/h (120 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 940
hPa. It brought strong winds and caused severe rainstorm and subsequent flooding in
Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

Apart from its severity, the characteristics of the local areas which were hit by the cyclone also
contributed to its detrimental effects. Firstly, there were severe mudslides in the mountainous
areas of Chipinge and Chimanimani. For mountainous areas with loose soils, with heavy rains,
the soils become saturated and subsequently follow gravity hence mud flows as it happened. The
effects of Idai became much worse because some houses and schools as well as infrastructures
were constructed in mountain bottoms.

In addition, some areas like Masvingo are basically low lying areas. Low lying areas are poor
when it comes to drainage. Poor drainage encourages flooding. When those areas received high
intensity raining for long time, they flooded. Coote (2019) notes that, the Nyahonde River burst
its banks and inundated numerous communities. On 19 March, water overflowed the
Marowanyati Dam in Murambinda, along the Mwerahari River

f) The immediate and long-term post-disaster response.

After the Disaster stroke, there were nationwide and international responses to the catastrophe.
These can be grouped into long and short term.

Rescue efforts

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a state of emergency soon after the storm
and deployed the National Army and Air Force. A command center was established in Harare by
17 March to co-ordinate rescue and relief efforts. People were airlifted from point of danger to
safe places. Helicopter rescue were used where army trucks could not reach because of damaged
roads. (a total of 80 casualties were airlifted to medical centers and 332 received assistance from
a combined effort from various medical practitioners). Foot soldiers also carried out the search
for the missing persons. They also rescued the trapped ones. During and after the Cyclone, the
locals who were, also rescued other locals.

However, persistent heavy rain, continued flooding, and mudslides hampered relief efforts,
leaving many residents stranded without assistance. Local rescue operations in the aftermath
have not all been effect, as in some cases people resorted to using shovels and hoes to dig up
rocks and trees. The lack of adequate equipment and tools to undertake rescue operations has
been obvious and the country has turned to neighbors and other partners for assistance. South
Africa has offered sniffer dogs in order to identify dead bodies trapped under boulders. Rescue
operations were not able to reach all the affected areas due to roads and bridges which were
either destroyed or flooded.

Assistance

The Government of Zimbabwe allocated RTGS$50 million for emergency response and
reconstruction. Medical supplies were sent to Mutare. Residents established collection centers
for donations in Bulawayo and Harare, where they got food, clothes and sanitaries. On 4 April
2019, Zimbabwe Cricket announced that all the profits from the third One Day International
(ODI) match between Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates would go to the relief efforts.
The international community provided assistance to the affected. According to Wam (2019), On
that day, the European Union released an emergency aid of €3.5 million (US$4 million) to
Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

However, damaged infrastructure hampered distribution. Some affected areas remain difficult to
reach as of 22 March, including Chimanimani. Mnangagwa declared that Zimbabwe would begin
two days of mourning for victims of the cyclone on 23 March. There were also reports of
corruption among those responsible for distribution of these aids. There were also political issues
where the assistance was given to the individuals of certain political parties leaving the others
helpless. In addition the food provided was left for expiring and rotting before distribution.

Rehabilitation

The Government of Zimbabwe allocated RTGS$50 million for emergency response and
reconstruction. The Zimbabwe Defense Forces assisted in the reconstruction of bridges to restore
road networks and other infrastructures. A combined $96.5 million has been pledged for two new
projects launched in Zimbabwe to help more than 270,000 people affected by March’s
devastating Cyclone Idai through the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP).
g) Lessons that can be learnt from this disaster in order to mitigate the effects of future
disasters of a similar nature.

A number of flaws can be pointed out in terms of government’s preparedness for the cyclone.
This is because the cyclone did not appear from nowhere and there were advance warnings but
very little was done to mitigate the effects. Cyclone Idai was foretold before it struck, long
enough to anticipate and prepare for its arrivals. The hand of humankind was given every
opportunity to mitigate its consequences and that hand of humankind was the government. There
are several lessons to be/already learnt from this disaster in order to reduce/mitigate the effects of
similar disaster in future

Evacuation from low-lying regions and floodplains could have been done especially before the
disaster had occurred. The GOZ should have deployed the ZDF and other institutions to evacuate
the people in affected regions to areas of higher ground before the disaster occurred as
mentioned in S13 of the Constitution. Although the ZDF later played an outstanding role in
terms of rescue efforts after the disaster, the government should have sent the assistance before
the cyclone occurred. Loss of life could have been avoided if such measures were implemented
in time. Taking for instance, in Australia they were able to minimize the damage after the
Australia Government evacuated thousands of people from the northern parts of the country
ahead of two cyclones Trevor and Veronica.

The GOZ should prepare a standby fund that kicks in for natural disasters. This was supposed to
be set up before the cyclone hit since the government is expected to take a leading role as it is
obliged to do so in terms of the constitution. The few constitutional reasons are:
The government’s role in the relief efforts was so passive since the bulk of the relief assistance
aid came from the bulk of the well-wishers, civil society and other countries whilst very little
from our own government was done. The Civil Protection Unit, tasked with the responsibility of
mitigating the impact of natural disasters, was allocated only US$2,335 million in the 2019
national budget and was thus grossly under-resourced and ill-prepared. Such disappointments
should be avoided in future to prevent a repeat of the effects of cyclone Idai since the
government is not a self-funding entity but is funded chiefly by the people of Zimbabwe,
therefore any contributions it makes are drawn from public funds. The GOZ is expected to
provide food assistance, infrastructure development, shelter etc. as part of the disaster fund since
it will be using the public purse.

There is need for educating the people in the communities before disasters strikesIn
Chimanimani District, illegal gold mining was primarily responsible for many of the landslides
which occurred during cyclone Idai. More so, in other areas illegal deforestation of indigenous
forest also caused flooding and land destabilization. The Government through the Ministry of
Environment, Tourism and Hospitality should educate the people to stop these illegal activities
and conserve natural resources. Education campaigns should include information on the safest
evacuation routes and nearby shelters. These routes may change from year to year depending
upon local construction. The GOZ should also uplift the livelihoods of poor people in their areas
so that they do not resort to illegal activities which then impact on their lives when such a
disaster happens.

To avoid the loss of life and property the GOZ needs to adjust available structures or buildings
and adopt the use of reinforced buildings and structures. Also there is need by the community to
avoid the use of material that is prone to cracking as it increases the chances of being affected
and destroyed by floods. In areas prone to flooding people are usually encouraged to always
elevate their beds so that when floods occur chances of drowning may be reduced. The GOZ
through engaging with various NGOs to build houses which can withstand cyclones in the above
areas. These houses should have windows with each shelter built to a standard design as a
multipurpose building for example as a school or community center at the most vulnerable
locations. The government can also help fund for elevated foundation houses that protect the
people from storm surges.

The GOZ must have ensured that effective communication was done to all the people who were
at risk before Cyclone Idai arrived. Since the people at risk of Cyclone Idai were in remote areas
such as Chimanimani, Chikomba and Zaka district the only effective way was to ensure that the
volunteers from the CPU and NGOs should have travelled to the districts and communicate with
the people about the risks associated with Cyclone Idai. Although people were warned using
various platforms such as radios and cellphones the information did not reach the people since
they are in remote areas and have no access to televisions and radios. Taking for instance in
Bangladesh as Cyclone Sidr headed for the coast in November 2007, almost two million people
were warned, through radio, television and a network of thousands of government, NGO and
Red Crescent volunteers, and evacuated to these shelters. Although over 3,000 people were
killed, it was still a success story for disaster preparedness.

It can be concluded there is a lot of lessons left the disaster Cylone Idai to be learn especially by
the Government of Zimbabwe in terms of disaster preparedness and support to the responsible
organization. Therefore a repeat of the effects of cyclone idai can be avoided if the government
takes into consideration of the above suggestions since the state has an obligation to look after
families wherever they may.
REFERENCE LIST

Chatiza, K (2019), An analysis of policy implications for post-disaster institutional development

to strengthen disaster risk management, https://www.oxfam.org/en/research/cyclone-idai-
zimbabwe) (Accessed 24 August 2021)

Coote, D. (17 March 2019). "Zimbabwe death toll climbs to 70 in wake of Cyclone Idai". United
Press International. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.

Funes, Y. "Cyclone Idai Poised to Become Southern Hemisphere's Deadliest Tropical Storm,
With More Than 1,000 Feared Dead". Earther. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019.
Retrieved 20 March 2019.

Goodman, J. Giles, C. (2019) BBC, Cyclone Idai: How prepared was southern Africa?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47639686 (Accessed 24 August 2021)

Masters, J. "Africa's Hurricane Katrina: Tropical Cyclone Idai Causes an Extreme Catastrophe".
Weather Underground. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.

Nyakanyanga, S. (2019), Cyclone Idai: A Time to Reassess Disaster Management.

http://www.ipsnews.net/2019/03/cyclone-idai-time-reassess-disaster-management/ (Accessed
August 24, 2021)

Wam (19 Mar 2019). "UAE to send Dh18.3m relief aid for 1.5m affected by Cyclone Idai".
Khaleej Times. Retrieved 19 March 2019.

Yuhas, A (19 March 2019). "Cyclone Idai May Be 'One of the Worst' Disasters in the Southern
Hemisphere". New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 19
March 2019.