Mozambique: Oxfam Warns of “Disaster upon Disaster”

Tropical Storm Gezani is intensifying in the Mozambique Channel, threatening already flood-hit provinces as aid groups warn more than one million people could be trapped without shelter or food.

As of Thursday, Gezani was strengthening over warm waters east of Mozambique, with forecasters warning of heavy rainfall, strong winds, and dangerous storm surges along the coast. The provinces of Gaza and Inhambane, still reeling from months of relentless rain, are projected to bear the brunt of the system if it maintains its current path.

Rivers across southern Mozambique are already swollen. In low-lying districts, entire communities remain cut off after earlier flooding destroyed bridges and submerged roads. Aid agencies say the ground is saturated, leaving little capacity to absorb additional rainfall. Even moderate precipitation could trigger flash floods and landslides.

Emergency teams have begun pre-positioning supplies, but access remains a major challenge. Inhambane’s coastal zones face the dual threat of inland flooding and storm surges from the Indian Ocean. Fishing communities and informal settlements built near riverbanks are considered especially vulnerable.

Humanitarian organizations operating in the region say health facilities are overstretched. Waterborne diseases have spread in crowded temporary shelters where sanitation systems collapsed during previous storms. Relief officials fear a sharp rise in cholera and malaria cases if flooding worsens.

The National Institute of Meteorology has urged residents in at-risk districts to follow evacuation guidance and avoid crossing flooded areas. Authorities are coordinating with local leaders to identify schools and public buildings that can serve as emergency shelters.

Gezani’s projected path places more than a million people within zones likely to experience heavy rainfall and strong winds. In Gaza province, where agricultural fields remain underwater, farmers warn that another storm could wipe out what little remains of this season’s crops.

Power outages are also likely. Utility crews have struggled to restore electricity after repeated weather disruptions, and strong winds could topple weakened infrastructure. Coastal ports are monitoring sea conditions as wave heights rise offshore.

Weather models show the system continuing to organize as it tracks westward across the channel. Officials say the next 24 to 48 hours will be critical in determining whether Gezani makes landfall as a tropical storm or intensifies further before reaching Mozambique’s southern coastline.