Marthe Frieden leads the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical team responding to the destruction caused by tropical Cyclone Idai, which hit Zimbabwe’s mountainous Manicaland Province on March 15. The cyclone caused flooding and deadly landslides, particularly in Manicaland’s Chimanimani District.

Before Idai hit, Martha was working on an MSF pilot project for the management of diabetes and hypertension in nearby Chipinge District, in partnership with Zimbabwe’s health ministry. Here, Frieden describes the events of the first six days as her ten-person team rapidly shifted gears from regular activities to emergency response.