Church responds to catastrophic flooding in Mozambique

Key points:

• Since the start of the rainy season in southern Africa, more than 100 people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced because of widespread flooding.
• Bishop João Filimone Sambo visited affected areas and brought supplies to a relief center. He has urged people to stay safe and is appealing for prayer support.
• United Methodists are helping with relief efforts, even as many churches and church members themselves are struggling with the impact from the flooding.

United Methodists are responding to deadly flooding in Mozambique with aid and an appeal from Bishop João Filimone Sambo for people to remain safe.

At least 106 people have died and around 515,000 people (97,000 families) have been affected in several regions since Mozambique’s rainy season began in November 2025. Flooding has ruined more than 60,000 hectares of agricultural land and damaged schools, hospitals, water systems, roads and power lines, in addition to destroying at least 62,000 homes.

Bishop Sambo, who leads the Mozambique-South Africa-Eswatini-Madagascar Episcopal Area, spent a day visiting the affected areas. He was accompanied by the Rev. Victória Armando Chifeche, Maputo Province District superintendent, and Sansão Maculuve, conference lay leader. They visited parts of Maputo and Boane, the largest accommodation center in Estevel, and the parishes of Zacarias Manhiça, Liberdade and Machava.

The bishop presented a donation of foodstuffs to the Estevel Center, which primarily serves school-age children, elderly people and pregnant women.

In a statement to the church, Sambo appealed for the safety of Mozambican communities. He urged people to avoid crossing rivers and streams, especially in areas with visible erosion, warning of the risks of landslides and other accidents. He also asked communities to stay away from areas that are difficult to access and to avoid long journeys.

The bishop expressed his concern about the effects of heavy rains and stressed the importance of taking special care, especially with children and the elderly. He encouraged all church members to remain safe, seek shelter and follow the guidance of authorities.

“We have entered a time of year when rain, which is a blessing, is also creating difficult situations when it comes in quantities that we cannot manage,” he said. “We see, through the media and even by physical observation in our neighborhood, that many people are suffering, with flooded homes and destroyed infrastructure.”

In his message, Sambo asked for prayers that the rain, although difficult to manage, may be a true blessing for the country and the families affected. “Let us pray that God will protect us and that this rain will indeed be a blessing for all of us,” he said.

Red alert

Mozambique has been repeatedly affected by cycles of drought and flooding, as well as cyclones, because of its location and the presence of main rivers such as the Limpopo, Incomati, Save, Pungue, Búzi and Zambezi, which cross vast plains prone to flooding. Key dams — Massingir, Corumana and Pequenos Libombos — have reached historically high levels, forcing the opening of all floodgates, according to the National Institute for Disaster Management and the central government. In Massingir, large volumes of water flow down the Limpopo and its tributaries, flooding areas of Gaza Province.

The Mozambican government has issued a red alert throughout the country to ensure  coordination of the response, as well as to mobilize resources for humanitarian assistance to victims and isolated populations. The country’s president has ordered the compulsory evacuation of people living in at-risk areas.

Air resources have been activated to rescue citizens besieged by the waters. Vast areas are submerged, leaving communities isolated and roads impassable. Road closures and the loss of communication have made it difficult for emergency services to get access by land.

Shared efforts needed

Ezequiel Marcos Nhantumbo, representative of The United Methodist Church’s Missouri-Mozambique partnership, stressed the need for shared efforts locally and at the partner level. Needs include food, water (mineral water and solar-powered wells for accommodation centers), disposable plates and spoons, mattresses, blankets, hygiene products, flashlights, small radios, medicines, biscuits, clothes, capulanas (wrapping sheets), bed sheets, mosquito nets and psychological help for trauma after the disaster. Next, it will be necessary to rebuild chapels and pastoral houses destroyed by the storm.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working on a solidarity grant to allow the church’s disaster management office in Mozambique to address urgent needs. 

Chifeche said the phenomenon repeats itself almost every year, and she called for urgent investment in the opening of water drainage channels and for the government, at local and national levels, to minimize the effects of flooding.

“Climate change is here to stay. The rain will not stop falling, so we need structural solutions and community education, and this will become part of our Christian preaching and meetings,” she stressed.

The areas of Corumana and Sábiè are among those most affected by the floods.

“We are activating rapid response mechanisms internally to help families as much as we can in the province of Maputo, where our Methodist communities have around 24 pastoral charges in the flooded urban and suburban areas, and we will also accommodate families in our chapels,” Chifeche said. “Our members are collecting various items of clothing, food, hygiene supplies and school supplies to distribute to those affected. We are counting on the government’s support to respond to this emergency.”

Providing refuge for survivors

Heavy rains and flooding in the Xinavane, Moamba and Magude regions of Maputo Province left residents homeless and caused significant material losses. In one case, Pastor Afonso Luísa Rungo’s home was flooded and looted. Rungo, parish pastor of the evangelical extension of Moamba of The United Methodist Church, said that no one had anticipated the severity of this rainy season.

Many families were forced to take refuge on roofs and balconies to escape the rising waters, while the lack of electricity made communication and charging cell phones difficult.

The Rev. Laura Wetimane Maganda, superintendent of the Gaza District, reported that most houses in the low-lying areas of the city of Chókwè were flooded, with water sweeping away many families’ possessions. The United Methodist Church in Gaza has intensified its community support.

“In Chibuto village, we have so far 516 members of 108 families from our church who have been left with nothing to wear or eat,” Maganda said.

“In our church in the city of Chókwè, there are 938 members from 134 families who have lost all their possessions, some of whom are in accommodation centers and others who are missing,” she said. “This flooding has also affected our Methodist communities in Guija village and the city of Xai-Xai.

“Currently, our chapels are being used to shelter communities, particularly those under the pastoral charge of Paineta Sambo and João Wesley, where several families have found temporary refuge,” she said.

Life comes first

The people of Chókwè took refuge mainly in the upper part of Macia, while those from Chibuto sought shelter in safe places in the city itself and in Xai-Xai, according to Maganda. In several cases, displaced families have been taken in by relatives and kind-hearted people.

“We continue to ask people living in risk areas to leave these places and seek safe places until the rain stops. Life must always come first,” Maganda said.

João Jossias Sambo, coordinator of the church’s emergency department, warned that several communities in the provinces of Maputo, Gaza, Inhambane and Sofala face serious risks due to flooding. In Chókwè, Mapai and Guijá, authorities have begun the compulsory evacuation of people in at-risk areas by boat and helicopter.

There are also reports that floods caused crocodiles and hippos from the Limpopo National Park to escape from the Massingir dam into inhabited areas, and the park provided emergency assistance with helicopters to isolated communities in Pafuri. Authorities warned the population of an increased risk of crocodile and hippopotamus attacks. The park evacuated people in serious condition (including cases of childbirth) in Chicualacuala due to the inaccessibility of the area.

The emergency team is gathering data and resources for the humanitarian response. Jossias Sambo said the plan is to assist all populations without distinction. “It is essential that families are in accessible areas so that support can arrive at the right time,” he added.

The Rev. Jacob Jenhuro, episcopal assistant of the Mozambique North Conference, reported that the city of Beira is experiencing urban flooding in several areas. In the district of Búzi, the villages of Bandua, Inhangondo and Inharrongue are flooded, leaving 28,840 people surrounded by water and practically isolated. Those trapped included Pastor Zacarias Júlio Ofice and about a hundred of his members at Búzi United Methodist Church.

In the province of Inhambane, heavy rains have caused significant damage to infrastructure, and the situation is particularly serious at the United Methodist Church Mission at Chicuque, in the city of Maxixe. There is a report of a house that collapsed, leaving a medical family from the Chicuque Rural Hospital homeless. Erosion caused by heavy rains has affected the municipal region, and the damages continue to worsen as rainfall persists.

Chifeche offered a message of encouragement to all affected. “My message is one of strength, faith and hope. The Bible says that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. People may lose material possessions, but they must not lose their faith. The first thing the enemy tries to steal is hope. I ask everyone not to lose hope and to continue to trust in the Lord.”

Facela is a communicator from Mozambique. News media contact: Julie Dwyer at newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.