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Eswatini cyclone guide

Eswatini is landlocked, between South Africa and Mozambique, so it never takes a direct hit from a tropical cyclone. Its danger is what is left of a cyclone after it crosses Mozambique: days of heavy rain that can flood rivers and trigger landslides, the same pattern that affects Zimbabwe and Malawi. The National Disaster Risk Management Authority (NDMA) is the country's lead disaster agency, and the Eswatini Meteorological Service, under the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, issues the national weather warnings. Storms that reached Mozambique and then brought rain and flooding to Eswatini include Cyclone Eloise in January 2021 and Cyclone Freddy in February and March 2023, though NASA's Earth Observatory and Eswatini news coverage describe the flooding and damage in only general terms, without a confirmed national damage total. Eswatini is on this one page.

Checked on November 6, 2026

Every phone number and web address on this page was checked against official sources on that date. Details can change, especially during a storm. Always follow instructions from the National Disaster Risk Management Authority (NDMA). In an emergency, call 999 for police, 977 for ambulance, or 933 for the Eswatini National Fire & Emergency Service. The National Disaster Risk Management Authority (NDMA) also lists a toll free emergency line, 112.

What to know in Eswatini

  • NDMA's homepage lists the Royal Eswatini Police Service, the Eswatini National Fire & Emergency Service, Emergency Medical Services, and the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force, each with its own number, plus a toll free emergency line.
  • NDMA's site has an Early Warning Systems section with hazard maps for fire, flood risk, drought, and storm hazard frequency, and a Composite Drought Index of Eswatini and an Eswatini Data Sharing Platform under Monitoring Tools.
  • NDMA reported in July 2026 that an Eswatini expert joined a SADC emergency response team deployed to Madagascar after Tropical Cyclone Gezani, which shows NDMA takes part in regional cyclone response even when Eswatini itself is not directly hit.
  • The Eswatini Meteorological Service's own national warnings page, checked on 2026-11-06, showed a current warning for severe thunderstorms with dangerous lightning, strong winds, possible hail, and flooding, covering the afternoon and evening of 6 and 7 November 2026. The site did not show a separate cyclone warning category.
  • NASA's Earth Observatory says Cyclone Eloise, after making landfall near Beira, Mozambique on 23 January 2021, "caused damage and flooding to South Africa, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe," without giving a figure for Eswatini on its own.

Emergency and information numbers

Service Number Notes
Police 999 Royal Eswatini Police Service, listed on the NDMA homepage and in its contact bar.
Ambulance 977 Emergency Medical Services, listed on the NDMA homepage.
Fire 933 Eswatini National Fire & Emergency Service, listed on the NDMA homepage.
Defence Force 990 Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force, listed on the NDMA homepage. Not a civilian emergency line, but shown with the other emergency numbers there.
NDMA emergency toll free line 112 Labeled "Emergency Toll-free Line" in the NDMA site's contact bar.
NDMA office +268-2409-5500 NDMA's main office number, SMVAF Office Park, Mbhilibhi Street, 3rd Floor, Mbabane. The site also lists a second number, +268 7900 0112. Office lines, not for emergencies.
Eswatini Meteorological Service +268-2404-9468 Office line for the national weather service, P.O. Box 2652, Mbabane. Fax +268 2404 1530. Not an emergency line.

Official alerts and information

  • NDMA Early Warning Systems: NDMA's Early Warning Systems menu links to hazard maps for fire, flood risk, drought, and storm hazard frequency, and to news updates and advisories under Resources. Website.
  • Eswatini Meteorological Service warnings: The national weather service's current warning, shown on its homepage. Check the date on it. Website.

National resources

  • National Disaster Risk Management Authority (NDMA): Eswatini's lead disaster management agency, with disaster risk reduction information, publications, and a reconstruction fund application form that links to the gov.sz portal. Website.
  • Eswatini Meteorological Service: National weather service, under the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs. Issues forecasts and severe weather warnings. Website.

For state agencies across the country, see the official sources page.

Evacuation centers

Open only when announced

Evacuation centers open only when officials announce them, and not every center opens for every storm. Check the official list of open centers before you leave home. Bring your own bedding, food, water, and medicines.

NDMA's site does not publish a standing list of open shelters. Centers are set up as needed during a flood or storm. Follow NDMA and your local chief's area (umphakatsi) or local authority for where to go.

Radio, TV and weather

Keep a battery or hand crank radio. When power and cell service fail, radio is often the only way to hear official updates.

Official forecasts

  • Eswatini Meteorological Service: Eswatini's national weather service, under the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs. Office at P.O. Box 2652, Mbabane. Phone: +268-2404-9468. Website.

After the storm: help for displaced residents

If your home is damaged or you cannot go back, these organizations help with shelter, food, money, and paperwork. Many programs open only after a disaster declaration, so check their pages for current status.

Relief organizations

  • Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross Society: Eswatini's national Red Cross society, listed in the IFRC's national societies directory. We could not confirm the society's own website address or a direct phone number on an official page, so none is listed here. The IFRC directory entry describes 5 branches and about 150 local units across the country. Website.

Sources

Checked on November 6, 2026. If a number or address here is wrong, please tell us at Keith@KMyers.me.