[NASA] Floods Inundate Southern Mozambique

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3. Floods Inundate Southern…

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December 17, 2025

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Image Details

Residents of southern Mozambique who live or farm near rivers are accustomed to heading to higher ground during the wet season. But even by local standards, the deluge in January 2026 was remarkable for its

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In December and January, weeks of

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swelled rivers and overwhelmed key reservoirs, sending floodwaters spilling into heavily populated areas along the Limpopo and Incomati rivers.

The

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(Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s

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satellite captured this

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image

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of floodwaters coursing down the two rivers on January 25, 2026 (right). The image on the left, captured by the

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satellite, shows the same area on December 17, 2025, before the flooding. A

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of the image shows thick plumes of water rich in

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flowing down the rivers and into the Mozambique Channel.

Flooding has affected at least

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, displaced

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, and destroyed or damaged at least

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, according to Mozambique’s National Disasters Management Institute, though it’s likely the numbers will increase due to ongoing search and rescue operations. Some of the hardest-hit cities include

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,

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, and

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Agriculture officials report the flooding of at least

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(440,000 acres) of crops and the loss of more than 150,000 head of livestock. Health experts

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of elevated risk of cholera, diarrhea, and other waterborne diseases, and authorities from at least one city have reported

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NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA 

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 and 

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. Story by Adam Voiland.

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December 17, 2025

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January 25, 2026

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References & Resources

• ABC News (2026, January 19)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• Aimnews.org (2026)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• BBC (2026, January 25)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• Cima Foundation (2026, January 17)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• Club of Mozambique (2026, January 23)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• The International Charter (2026, January 25)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• The International Organization for Migration (2026, January 22)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• NASA (2022, September 21)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• PBS News (2026, January 23)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.
• ReliefWeb (2026)
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  . Accessed January 26, 2026.

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