The Mozambique Red Cross Society activates its Early Action Protocol for Floods

The Mozambique Red Cross Society activated its Early Action Protocol (EAP) for Floods on 21 February 2025, based on forecasts of severe flooding in the Licungo and Limpopo river basins. With just three days (72 hours) before the flood's expected peak, its team acted swiftly to protect 10,000 people in the most vulnerable communities through anticipatory action.

Triggering the EAP

The Mozambique Red Cross Society had been closely monitoring meteorological updates since early February 2025. The EAP was finally activated based on forecasts from the Administracao Regional de Aguas (ARA), the regional body of Mozambique’s National Directorate of Water Resources Management.

The decision to trigger the EAP was based on ARA’s hydrometeorological warnings, which indicated that the trigger levels – which are based on water levels at the river basins’ reference stations (and often known as danger levels) – would be reached within 72 hours. The triggers, which are different for Mozambique’s four main hydrographic basins, were reached for two basins: the Licungo and the Limpopo.

1. Following 24 hours of intense rainfall, river levels continued to rise in the Limpopo Basin (in Gaza Province), posing an immediate risk to multiple areas. At 06:00 on 21 February, ARA data showed that there were only 52cm before the trigger level was reached at the Chokwé station – and the rain was continuing to fall. Based on this forecast, the EAP was activated on a ‘no regret’ basis, given the extreme vulnerability of communities in the Sede and Tchaimite administrative posts of Chibuto District.
2. A few hours later, the EAP was triggered in the Licungo Basin (in Zambezia Province), based on the river levels there.  

These two basins are home to many highly vulnerable communities, who live on floodplains where the risk of devastation from flooding is high.

Acting ahead of the flood’s peak

Given the critically short time between the triggers being reached and the expected peak, the Mozambique Red Cross Society needed to act quickly. It prepared its administrative and logistics departments, organized and equipped volunteers, identified at-risk households and – importantly – established communication lines with government authorities, including the provincial administrator, technical staff, and the heads of provincial and district committees, as well as its own provincial management staff. It also communicated with the communities at risk.

In coordination with the National Institute for Disaster Management, it implemented the following anticipatory actions on 22 and 23 February:

• The team disseminated early warning information and evacuation support in both the Licungo and Limpopo basins.
• In Nante (Licungo Basin), people were provided with health and hygiene information; around 1,000 households (5,000 people) also received essential items – mosquito nets, jerry cans, buckets and soap – to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases .

These proactive measures were critical in ensuring that vulnerable communities had vital resources and information ahead of the flood reaching its peak.

Challenges in implementation

Efforts to implement the anticipatory actions faced a significant setback due to roadblocks in Malehice, Maniquinique and Tchaimite in Limpopo Basin, where protests hindered the Mozambique Red Cross Society team’s access to at-risk communities. Negotiations to allow access were unsuccessful, but the team still managed to equip 20 volunteers with boots, raincoats, vests and Red Cross visibility T-shirts, strengthening their ability to support affected communities under challenging conditions.

At the time of writing, rolling forecasts indicate the potential for further severe flooding across several areas. The Mozambique Red Cross Society is currently exploring ways to reach communities at risk, as well as gaining access to those in the Limpopo Basin who have not yet been reached, before access becomes impossible.