Read the Standby Partnership After Action Review: Tropical Cyclone Idai Response.

Following the humanitarian response to Tropical Cyclone Idai, which was the most powerful cyclone to ever hit the Southern African coastline, RedR Australia led a joint After Action Review in conjunction with five other Standby Partnership (SBP) agencies in June. 

RedR Australia’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Manager, Kylie Harrington, joined SBP colleagues from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Irish Aid, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UK Aid and NORCAP, to conduct an After Action Review (AAR) focused primarily on the response in Mozambique.

The purpose of the joint mission was to assess the overall impact of the entire SBP response, on behalf of all agencies and partners. The review found that SBP support to United Nations agencies responding to Tropical Cyclone Idai was responsive, extensive in its reach and critical in nature.

During AAR interviews, UN agency representatives acknowledged they would not have been able to manage aspects of their operations without Standby support. Across several affected areas, SBP deployees filled crucial coordination positions and in some cases led entire emergency programs.

In March and April 2019, Southern Africa was hit by two cyclones, Idai and Kenneth, causing widespread devastation across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. In Mozambique alone, close to 2.2 million people were in need of urgent assistance, according to UN reports.

Tropical Cyclone Idai brought torrential rains and winds to Mozambique on the night of March 14 and 15, causing flash flooding and the destruction of properties and livelihoods. Idai caused more than 600 deaths, and left 1.85 million people in need in Mozambique.

RedR Australia deployed four technical specialists to support the Tropical Cyclone Idai response, including an Education in Emergencies Specialist, Post Disaster Shelter Expert, Structural Engineer, and a Humanitarian Affairs Officer.

“The Standby support has been incredible. The speed with which you have identified the right people, the speed with which they have been deployed, it was a real saving grace for us.”

– Deputy Representative, UNICEF Mozambique

The final report for the After Action Review is now available here.