Revisiting Zimbabwe’s Early Warning Systems in the Light of Tropical Cyclone Idai

Abstract

This chapter presents an assessment of the effectiveness of the tropical cyclone early warning system (EWS) in Zimbabwe, with a special focus on Cyclone Idai, which affected the country in March 2019. The study used a household questionnaire survey, interviews, field observations and official documents to identify gaps in major components of the EWS value chain, which contributed to the dysfunction of the EWS, resulting in fatalities, loss and damage of property and infrastructure. Lack of risk knowledge, poor instrumentation for accurate forecasting and nowcasting, weak institutional coordination and inadequate resources—that hinder critical government institutions from executing their mandates in the system—and poor early warning communication are some of the identified factors that contributed to the dysfunction of the EWS. The study proposes a set of enabling conditions, as corrective measures to improve all the EWS components. The private sector is an underutilised actor in the EWS, and we recommend that, rather than engaging the private sector in the post-disaster response, the private sector needs to be incorporated in pre-disaster EWS activities. A people-centred, impact-based and multi-hazard EWS, which is founded on shared resources, risk knowledge and expertise, should be considered. Further research may focus on a cost-benefit analysis of the EWS, to provide an evidence base to inform decisions in EWS investment and strategies.