Harare – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing to the international community for USD 7.2 million for the next six months, to provide multi-sectorial humanitarian assistance to individuals affected by Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe. 

Cyclone Idai, a Category Four tropical storm, made landfall in Zimbabwe on 15 March, bringing heavy rains and strong winds that caused massive destruction in the Manicaland, Masvingo, and Mashonaland East provinces.

According to a Government of Zimbabwe report from Tuesday (2 April) 270,000 individuals need assistance across all sectors. The death toll is rising in Manicaland, Masvingo and Mashonaland East Provinces, and could continue to rise as search and rescue operations continue. Over 200 people have been reported injured in the towns of Chimanimani and Chipinge, while over 500 people are still missing in Rusitu Valley, Chimanimani District, where rescue efforts are hampered by damaged access roads. Staff members in Zimbabwe are working independently to verify these numbers.

IOM is appealing for funds to scale up its response in the following sectors: Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM); Health; Protection; Displacement Tracking; Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS); Early Recovery; Shelter and non-food Items (NFI).

“[The Organization] is working to support communities affected by Cyclone Idai through technical assistance in shelter, CCCM and Information Management through DTM (Displacement Tracking Matrix),” said IOM Zimbabwe Chief of Mission Mario Lito Malanca. “Our DTM teams are now on the ground rolling out needs assessments through our mobility tracking tool in [Chimanimani, Chipinge, Mutare and Buhera districts] in Manicaland province, and will extend the scope of its action where necessary in Masvingo district.”

Shelter support is the most urgent, and IOM is working to help displaced populations; 90,000 individuals — or 18,000 households — have emergency shelter needs. As the global cluster lead for displacement in natural disaster emergency settings, the Organization will take the lead in the S/NFI Cluster as well as in the CCCM response. So far, IOM has distributed 743 tents in Chipinge and Chimanimani districts; a further 257 tents are ready for distribution.

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) team is on the ground to provide information about the locations and numbers of internally displaced persons to support a well-informed, coordinated humanitarian response.

IOM’s Appeal for Zimbabwe is available here.

For more information please contact: 

Mario Lito Malanca, IOM Zimbabwe Chief of Mission, Email: mmalanca@iom.int

Varaidzo Mudombi at IOM Zimbabwe, Tel: +263242704285, Email: vmudombi@iom.int