IPCC_Managing Risks of Extreme Events.pdf - Climate Access

Chapter 9Case Studies9.2.6.5. Outcomes/Consequences – 2007 Floods in MozambiqueSeven years after the catastrophic floods of 2000, similar floodingoccurred in Mozambique, but the country was prepared to a greaterextent than before. Between December 2006 and February 2007, heavyrains across northern and central Mozambique together with a severedownpour in neighboring countries led to flooding in the Zambezi Riverbasin (IFRC, 2007). Additional flooding was caused by the approach oftropical cyclone Favio, which struck the Búzi area at the end of February2007 (Poolman et al., 2008). During the flood period on the southerncoast of Mozambique, 29 people were killed, 285,000 people affected,and approximately 140,000 displaced (Kienberger, 2007; World Bank,2011b). The heavy rains and floods damaged health centers, publicbuildings, drug stocks, and medical equipment and affected safe waterand sanitation facilities (UNOCHA, 2007). In total, the floods and cyclonecaused approximately US$ 71 million of damage to local infrastructureand destroyed 277,000 ha of crops (USAID, 2007).During the course of January 2007, it became clear that there was animminent threat of severe flooding in the Zambezi River basin valley(Foley, 2007). A multinational flood warning covering Zambia, Malawi,and Mozambique was issued on 26 January 2007. With forecasts andwarnings increasing over the next week, NIDM increased the floodwarning until a ‘Red Alert’ was issued (UNISDR, 2010). This was a testof the earlier work undertaken by Bollin et al. (2005); when the riversrose rapidly, it was reported that approximately 12,800 people whowere at risk had been well prepared by prior training (Loster and Wolf,2007). The district’s disaster mitigation committee had alerted threatenedvillages two days previously (blue-flag alert) and now with a red-flagalert announced evacuations, which were completed in less than twodays, with approximately 2,300 going to accommodation centers (Losterand Wolf , 2007).In the emergency period, NIDM, with local and international partnerorganizations, established networks with local centers to coordinate theemergency operations. The International Federation of Red Cross andRed Crescent Societies and its local partners, the US Agency forInternational Development, and other organizations worked to distributebasic goods, food, and medical assistance during the emergency period(IFRC, 2007; USAID, 2007).A resettlement program, although a policy of last resort, to moveinhabitants from flood-prone areas to safer areas was initiated (Stal,2011; WMO, 2011a). Resettlement is not an easy option. Although brickbuilthousing was provided in flood-safe areas with new (or nearby)schools and health facilities, these have not been as well received asintended as these flood-safe resettlements suffer from water scarcityand drought, and growing crops is therefore difficult (Stal, 2011).The floods of 2000 and 2007 along with other natural hazards areconsidered to have undone years of development efforts (Sietz et al., 2008)and to have undermined national efforts in realizing Mozambique’spoverty reduction strategy (IMF, 2011).9.2.6.6. Lessons IdentifiedThis comparison of the two floods events that occurred in Mozambiquein 2000 and 2007 shows:• Floods, as one of the most dangerous natural phenomena, are areal threat to the sustainable development of nations (Ahern et al.,2005; Guha-Sapir et al., 2011)• The consequences of floods depend on the long-term adaptationto extremes of climate, and associated hydrologic extremes requirefurther understanding. After the 2000 floods in Mozambique, nationaland international organizations updated their strategies to includedisaster preparedness, risk management, and contingency andresponse capacities according to the lessons of catastrophic floods.The Government of Mozambique introduced new DRM structuresbetween 2000 and 2007, illustrating the flexibility needed toaccommodate the scientific and communication systems that needto be in place to adapt to a climate change-driven disaster and thatthis can be done in liaison with and with guidance from externalagencies. Realization of the new program of DRM led to a reductionin consequences from the floods in 2007 (Republic of Mozambique,2006a).• Experience in Mozambique shows that creation and developmentof effective and steadily functioning systems of hydrologicalmonitoring and early warning systems at a local, regional, andnational level as key components of DRM allowing more realisticwarnings of flooding threats (WMO, 2011a).• The implementation of resettlement programs in periodically floodedareas in 2007 has reduced flood damage, but these measures arenot easy to implement (WMO, 2011a).• Limited available resources are one of the most important problemsfor both disaster preparedness and disaster response. The extremepoverty of the people makes them highly vulnerable to floods andother natural disasters, despite the best efforts of the governmentto protect them (World Bank, 2011b).• The example of Mozambique shows that climate change adaptationneeds to be achieved through the understanding of vulnerability inall sectors (social, infrastructure, production, and environmental)and this knowledge needs to be used for the formulation ofpreparedness and response mechanisms (Sietz et al., 2008).9.2.7. Disastrous Epidemic Disease: The Case of Cholera9.2.7.1. IntroductionWeather and climate have a wide range of health impacts and play arole in the ecology of many infectious diseases (Patz et al., 2000). Therelationships between health and weather, climate variability, and longtermclimate change are complex and often indirect (McMichael et al.,2006). As with other impacts explored in this report, not all extremehealth impacts associated with weather and climate result fromextreme events; some result instead from less dramatic events unfoldingin the context of high population vulnerability. In such cases, impacts507