Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe – Severe weather and floods, update (INGD, Copernicus EMSR, NOAA Southern Africa, media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 19 January 2026)

News and Press Release in English on Mozambique about Flood and Severe Local Storm; published on 19 Jan 2026 by ECHO

Very heavy rainfall has been affecting Mozambique (mainly the southern and the central provinces) since 24 December, causing widespread floods that have resulted in an increasing humanitarian impact. The worst affected provinces are Gaza, Maputo, Inhambane and Sofala.
As of 19 January, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGD) reports 43 fatalities, 28 injured people, approximately 68 600 currently evacuated people in 77 accommodation centres and a total of nearly 610 000 affected people across the country. In addition, INGD also reports 3 231 destroyed houses and around 78 000 damaged houses countrywide.
DG ECHO partners in Mozambique, CARE and WFP, are currently responding to the crisis.
The Copernicus EMS was activated in rapid mapping mode on 17 January. 14 maps have been produced so far.
Moreover, very heavy rainfall since early January caused severe floods across the neighbouring South Africa and Zimbabwe. In South Africa, the death toll reached 30 fatalities since late December. The worst affected provinces are Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In Zimbabwe, 70 fatalities were reported across Masvingo, Manicaland, Midlands and Mashonaland East provinces.
Over the next 24 hours, more heavy rainfall, with locally very heavy rainfall, is still forecast over most of Mozambique, north-eastern South Africa and all of Zimbabwe.