Nomatter Ncube and her kids sit beside their washed away family home following Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani district, Zimbabwe, March 18, 2019. ;

A stranded family sits on top of their home after Cyclone Idai, in Buzi district, outside Beira, Mozambique, March 21, 2019. ;

; Devastating Tropical Cyclone Idai struck the east coast of southern Africa on 14 and 15 March 2019, causing widespread loss of life and destruction. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working with governments and humanitarian partners in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi to provide relief to the cyclone survivors, in solidarity with the people of the region who have for decades generously hosted refugees and shared their limited resources with them. We are sending our emergency response teams and aid supplies – including family tents, plastic tarpaulins, sleeping mats, cooking sets and utensils, jerry cans, buckets, mosquito nets, solar lamps and soap – to assist those affected by the disaster without recent precedent in the region. Some 12,000 refugees (3,000 families) living in Tongogara refugee camp, south-eastern Zimbabwe, have also been heavily affected. Over 2,000 refugee houses, mainly built using mud bricks, were completely or partially damaged. Over 600 latrines have collapsed, and borehole water is feared to be contaminated due to flood waters. There is a real danger of an outbreak of waterborne diseases, such as malaria, cholera and other diarrheal diseases. UNHCR staff in the camp already started distribution of mosquito nets, sleeping mats, blankets and solar lamps, and provided life-saving support to about 300 refugees so far. Distributions will continue in the coming days.