Orphaned by Cyclone Idai: Siblings Call for Stronger Disaster Preparedness

For siblings Onayi and Tatenda, the death of their parents during Cyclone Idai in March 2019 shattered their world and left lasting scars that no time can erase.

Onayi, now a second-year Pharmaceutical Sciences student at the University of Zimbabwe, recalled how their parents, who were cross-border traders, set out for Mozambique via Chimanimani on that tragic day, never to return.

“Our parents were paying for our school fees and day-to-day survival. We want closure.

“We were just told our parents were among the victims of the deadly Cyclone Idai. Whether they were washed down into the Indian Ocean or buried somewhere in Chimanimani, we don’t know and might never get to know,” Onayi said.

After their parents’ disappearance, relatives and concerned neighbours stepped in to raise the grieving siblings. Yet the pain lingers.

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Tatenda, through tears, said disaster warnings must be taken more seriously to save lives.

“If warnings had been issued earlier, our parents might still be with us today,” she said in an interview with NewsDay, expressing deep frustration over the country’s disaster response systems.

Six years after Cyclone Idai which ravaged Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, leaving more than 340 people dead and displacing thousands survivors like Onayi and Tatenda are a stark reminder that Zimbabwe’s disaster preparedness remains dangerously inadequate.

Reports at the time detailed how business centres, schools, and even police stations in Manicaland were flattened, while 39 students, their headmaster, and three teachers were swept away in Rusitu.

The cyclone’s devastation extended across southern Africa, heavily impacting Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe’s inland districts such as Buhera, Gutu, Zaka, and Bikita.

Environmental activists are calling for urgent reforms. Gilbert Mandaga, founder of Green Africa Network, stressed the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to build community resilience against future disasters.

“To enhance disaster resilience, the government must fast-track the Disaster Risk Management and Civil Protection Bill,” Mandaga told NewsDay, advocating for a stronger policy framework anchored on prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

He added that Cyclone Idai exposed the vulnerabilities of women and children, who suffered disproportionately due to limited access to resources, urging for gender-sensitive disaster strategies.

Mandaga also warned that climate change is intensifying Zimbabwe’s exposure to extreme weather, with rural communities heavily reliant on natural resources facing the greatest risks.

He called for renewed focus on climate justice, indigenous knowledge preservation, investment in renewable energy, and sustainable agricultural practices.

As Zimbabwe faces rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and increasingly severe natural disasters, the scars of Cyclone Idai serve as a somber call for urgent action.

For survivors like Onayi and Tatenda, true healing will only come when Zimbabwe is better prepared and no family is left to wonder where their loved ones were lost.