OCHA / MOZAMBIQUE ZIMBABWE MALAWI

At the end of a week-long mission to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi to see first-hand the humanitarian response to Tropical Cyclone Idai, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller called the world to support the three countries to address the challenges, risks and impacts of extreme weather events and climate change on the most vulnerable. OCHA

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:56
• Production Date: 12 June 2019
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: CLIMATE CHANGE; CYCLONES
• Geographic Subject: MALAWI; MOZAMBIQUE; ZIMBABWE
• MAMS Id: 2406863
• Parent Id: 2406863
• Alternate Title: unifeed190612g

Description

STORY: OCHA / MOZAMBIQUE ZIMBABWE MALAWI
TRT: 3:56
SOURCE: OCHA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 06 JUNE 2019, MUTUA, MOZAMBIQUE / 09 JUNE 2019, ZIMBABWE / 11 JUNE 2019, CHIKWAWA DISTRICT, MALAWI

Shotlist

06 JUNE 2019, MUTUA, MOZAMBIQUE

1. Various shots, ASG Mueller walking into camp
2. Various shots, ASG Mueller talks to Vitoria, affected person
3. Med shot, kids in camp
4. SOUNDBITE Vitoria, Displaced person in Mutua:
“The water came, and it began to rise up, up here, up here, up here, over me, and then I was completely in the water and there was no way I could do anything. I started to swim, to swim, until I reached a mango tree. I stayed there and other people came. I slept there, on top of the tree. Then someone else came and handed me a little child. With a piece of cloth, we tied the child to the mango tree. And then we slept. There was another person who was with us and who didn’t have a cloth to tie her baby. Her baby fell in the water and died.”
5. Various shots, mother and child

09 JUNE 2019, ZIMBABWE

6. Various shots, Arboretum IDP camp
7. Various shots, destroyed houses

11 JUNE 2019, CHIKWAWA DISTRICT, MALAWI

8. Various shots, ASG meeting with displaced people
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ursula Mueller, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Relief Coordinator:
“I saw the real impact of climate change on these countries that I visited: Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. We are having a climate crisis that was not caused by the people who are the most vulnerable and who are the most affected. We need to address the climate challenge, we need to have a more sustainable agriculture and we need to change our way of living. Otherwise we are faced with more humanitarian crises, more intense cyclones, flooding and droughts”
10. Various shots, ASG meeting with displaced people

Storyline

At the end of a week-long mission to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi to see first-hand the humanitarian response to Tropical Cyclone Idai, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ursula Mueller called the world to support the three countries to address the challenges, risks and impacts of extreme weather events and climate change on the most vulnerable. The Cyclone Idai weather system hit the region three months ago, leaving a path of destruction and more than three million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

“While the impact of Cyclone Idai was different in the three countries, this disaster gives us a clear picture of how the effects of climate change are increasing the humanitarian needs of people who are already extremely vulnerable”, said Mueller. “The climate crisis is hurting most those who have done the least to create it.”

In Mozambique, which was affected by two consecutive cyclones, Idai and Kenneth, the deputy humanitarian chief visited Beira, the port city which took the brunt of Idai, and travelled to Dondo, where she met with people who have been resettled after they lost everything. “I am inspired by the incredible resilience of the Mozambican people, who are already rebuilding their lives,” she said. “However, I am deeply concerned for the months ahead, as food insecurity is expected to rise due to the extensive damage to crops and livelihoods. We must ensure that no one is left behind, and that displaced people are resettled in a way that is safe, dignified, voluntary, informed and durable”.

Mueller welcomed the initial outpouring of support and solidarity with Mozambique, but urged the international community to do more. The Humanitarian Response Plan for Mozambique, that calls for $440 million including the response to Cyclone Idai and Kenneth and the drought in the south, is only 34 per cent funded.

In Zimbabwe, the deputy humanitarian chief visited Chimanimani, one of the locations hardest-hit by Idai, which was already facing a food insecurity crisis before the weather system arrived. “I talked to people who were displaced, most of them women. They told me of how they were already struggling before the storm and, while they are striving to recover, they need support to be more resilient and to improve their lives”, she said.

Mueller stressed during her meetings with the government, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa and various ministers, the critical importance of preventing a further deterioration in the situation, as the humanitarian needs across Zimbabwe escalate as a consequence of the pre-existing drought and economic situation. The Zimbabwe Flash Appeal —which covers the drought, economic crisis and Cyclone Idai— is just over 26 per cent funded, with US$75 million received out of $294 million required.

In Malawi, the last country visited during the mission, the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator visited Chikwawa district, which was impacted by the massive floods caused by the Cyclone Idai weather system in early March. “With the response transitioning from relief to recovery, and a good harvest expected, it is critical that the Government and development partners take this opportunity to tackle the longer-term challenges which cause recurrent humanitarian crises in Malawi. It is also critical to invest in resilience, both of the communities and the national systems”, she said.