[3] By the end of January 2000, the rains caused the Incomati, the Umbeluzi, and the Limpopo rivers to exceed their banks, inundating portions of the capital Maputo.

[1] Flooding was beginning to recede in late February by the time Cyclone Eline made landfall.

Flooding also disrupted water supply and covered roads,[5] with the primary north-south highway cut in three locations.

[10] The combined effects of the preceding floods and Eline left about 463,000 people displaced or homeless,[11] including 46,000 children five years old or younger.

[1] The cyclone and the floods disrupted much of the economic progress Mozambique had made in the 1990s since the end of its civil war.

[14] Before the arrival of Eline, the government of Mozambique appealed to the international community for assistance in response to the flooding, and countries were beginning to provide relief.

[40] The Mozambique government used boats to evacuate residents in flood zones,[41] setting up 121 camps for evacuees.

[42] South Africa sent a fleet of twelve planes and helicopters to operate search and rescue missions, as well as airdropping food.

[50][51] Areas in southern Mozambique also lost access to clean water, furthering dehydration and illnesses.