Southern Africa: Snapshot of Tropical Cyclone Freddy’s Impact (February - March 2023)

The Tropical Cyclone (TC) Freddy weather system struck Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean in February and March 2023, leaving a trail of devastation and destruction in its wake. TC Freddy originated as a disturbance near Australia in early February, before crossing the Indian Ocean and making its initial landfall on the eastern coast of Madagascar, near Mananjary, on 21 February. Freddy then crossed the island of Madagascar and the Mozambican Channel and struck Mozambique —near Vilankulos— on 24 February. Subsequently, it returned to the Mozambican Channel and passed near the southeastern coast of Madagascar on 5 March. On 11 March, it made its second landfall in Mozambique, in Zambezia Province, before proceeding inland towards Malawi, where it brought torrential rains from 12 March. TC Freddy holds the record as the longest-tracked tropical cyclone, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), enduring for 34 days, traversing the entire South Indian Ocean, and covering a distance exceeding 8,000 kilometers.

In Madagascar, at least 17 people lost their lives due to the two impacts of the cyclone, seven of whom were killed during the first landfall on the eastern coast and 10 when it passed by the southwest of the island. Freddy brought strong winds and heavy rain to the island, impacting over 299,000 people and flooding, damag-ing or destroying more than 41,000 houses in the south-east and south-west. However, while Freddy hit areas already impacted by Tropical Cyclones Batsirai and Emnati in 2022, the scale of destruction was lower than anticipated, including due to strong early warnings and proactive community preparedness, such as sandbagging of roofs.

In Mozambique, about 1.1 million people were affected by Freddy’s double landfall across Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Sofala, Tete, Niassa and Zambezia provinces. At least 184,000 people were displaced and 183 people lost their lives, while over 199,000 houses were destroyed or flooded and more than 390,0000 hectares of land were affected. Freddy also exacerbated the cholera outbreak in Mozambique, creating a compounding effect of damage, destruction, floods, and an increased spread of the disease.

However, it was Malawi that suffered the most catastrophic consequences from Cyclone Freddy. Strong winds, mudslides, landslides and flashfloods hit 15 districts in the country’s Southern region, leading to death, displacement and destruction. Entire communities were cut-off from essential services, leaving them without access to vital supplies and services, including food and health care. At least 676 people lost their lives, and this figure is expected to rise to more than 1,200 once the official process for confirming the death of those who remain missing is completed. More than 659,000 people were displaced, most of whom lost their belongings and/or homes, and children’s education was interrupted, as schools were used as displacement sites or destroyed or damaged. Over 204,800 hectares of crops were flooded, just as farmers were about to harvest, prompting concerns regarding food insecurity in the run-up to the next lean season, which will begin in October.