MAPUTO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- More than one million people have been affected by extreme weather events in Mozambique since the start of the 2025-2026 rainy and cyclonic season, according to an official disaster monitoring report published on Friday.
The cumulative report, covering the period from Oct. 1, 2025 to March 21, 2026, said that a total of 1,010,759 people, or 230,853 families, were impacted by strong winds, floods, fires, cholera outbreaks and the passage of Tropical Cyclone Gezani across the southern African country.
The disasters have resulted in 289 deaths, 349 injuries and 15 missing people, highlighting the severity of the current season.
Significant damage to infrastructure was also recorded. At least 21,207 houses were partially destroyed, 10,001 houses were completely destroyed, and 203,729 houses were flooded, the report said.
Public service facilities were affected as well, including 304 health units and 104 places of worship.
The education sector suffered extensive disruption, with 378,297 students and 10,747 teachers affected. A total of 724 schools and 2,186 classrooms were damaged, along with 183 education administrative blocks.
Authorities also reported damage to key infrastructure such as roads, water supply systems, electricity networks and telecommunications towers, as well as losses in agriculture, raising concerns over prolonged humanitarian and economic impacts.
Rescue operations have so far saved over 7,000 people, while dozens of accommodation centers have been set up to shelter displaced families, says the document.
Mozambique is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, frequently facing tropical cyclones, floods and droughts. Experts warn that the increasing frequency and intensity of such events continue to strain the country's disaster response capacity and development efforts. ■
