SADC says its Emergency Response Team will support Mozambique and South Africa by establishing a comprehensive assessment of the humanitarian situation caused by recent devastating floods, including response capacities and priority needs.
The assessment is expected to inform a targeted regional response.
Last week, SADC deployed its emergency response team to support the governments of Mozambique and South Africa, which have all been affected by severe flooding, resulting in loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, and disruption of essential services.
In Mozambique, more than half a million people in the central and southern regions, including Gaza, Maputo, Sofala, Inhambane, and Manica provinces, were affected, and more than 150 deaths were reported.
SADC Head of Communication and Public Relations Barbara Lopi added that "the deployment of the SADC Emergency Response Team forms part of SADC's disaster risk mechanisms to support the government of Mozambique following the declaration of a red alert on 16 January 2026 and the subsequent appeal for humanitarian assistance in response to severe flooding. The SADC Emergency Response Team comprises a multidisciplinary team of experts in safety and security, logistics, search and rescue, information management and data collection, public health emergency response, civil military communication and muliti-sectoral assessment."
South Africa also declared a State of National Disaster on 18 January, following severe flooding in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.
SADC says its Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre, working alongside national disaster response and coordination structures, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and international partners, is supporting government-led national response efforts.
The region has experienced prolonged rainfall, leading to river overflows, dam spillages, flash floods, and the inundation of low-lying areas across several member states, including Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The hardest-hit countries, Mozambique and South Africa, are in need of humanitarian assistance.
As of October 2025, SADC reported that flooding had affected over one million people across several member states.
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has launched a humanitarian appeal for Mozambique to supplement a US$6 million allocation.