posted March 09, 2007 01:44 PM            

Deadly floods in early 2007 have submerged towns and villages in the southern African countries of Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, destroying crops and homes. Thousands of villagers - who mostly live in small mud huts and survive by growing vegetables and rearing goats and chickens - have been left without shelter, food or clean water.

Flooding brings fears of a worsening cholera epidemic in Angola, especially in urban slums around the capital, Luanda, where stinking, dirty water fills the streets. Aid workers have criticised the government for being slow to react, bearing in mind that more than 1,800 people died in 2006 in the country's worst cholera outbreak in a decade.

Experts fear Mozambique could be facing a crisis surpassing the devastating floods of 2000 and 2001, which killed 700 people, displaced half a million and wrecked infrastructure.

But Mozambican authorities say they are better prepared than they were in 2001, when images of a baby being born in a tree were broadcast round the world. Meteorologists forecast that flooding conditions could last until the end of March.

Angola and Mozambique are among a handful of African nations that have become more vulnerable to floods as a result of soil erosion and lack of investment in drainage. Both countries' sewage systems fell into disrepair during lengthy civil wars that raged in the former Portuguese colonies following independence in 1975.

http://www.alertnet.org/db/crisisprofiles/SA_FLO.htm?v=at_a_glance

posted March 09, 2007 01:49 PM            

MAPUTO, 9 March (IRIN) - As the ongoing relief effort in Mozambique's flooded Zambezi Valley enters its second month, government officials are shifting some of their attention to post-disaster reconstruction.

Planning minister Aiuba Cuereneia said this week that US$71 million would be needed for the permanent resettlement of people living in flood-prone areas. The money would also be used to rebuild infrastructure, such as schools and bridges, in the Zambezi Valley, in the centre of the country, and in areas to the south hit by Cyclone Favio two weeks ago.

The question of resettlement is complicated. Government officials have often voiced frustration about the resources expended every few years on rescuing people in the flood zones. "These funds that we are spending now should be applied to development efforts," Zambezia provincial governor Carvalho Muaria told the government-run newspaper, Noticias, at the outset of the recent flooding last month.

But the flood zones possess especially fertile soil that residents are loath to leave. "People have options [as to] whether they want to be resettled or not," said Paulo Zucula, director of the national disaster agency. He estimated that about 40,000 of the more than 100,000 evacuated residents living in temporary accommodation centres would choose permanent resettlement on higher ground.

"The government is encouraging people not to go back [to the flood zones], but there's no order that they cannot go," he added. "The government is preaching that people should live in safe areas. There is a series of measures to encourage that, [but] the constitution says people can do whatever they want."

Yet, at an accommodation centre in Caia, on the Zambezi River, which forms the border between Mozambique's Sofala and Zambezia provinces, a spokesman for traditional leader Domingos Alfanete said evacuated residents would only be able to return to their homes to work the fields and would not be allowed to live there on a permanent basis, due to "government force". The families in the temporary camp, visited by IRIN two weeks ago, had been evacuated from two islands in the Zambezi about 30km upriver from Caia.

"Of course, it makes sense not to have to go back to these communities every two, three years and evacuate everyone," said Chris McIvor, country director for Save the Children-UK. "At the same time, the reason people are going back to these places is because of the fertile land. They're making an economic calculation - no one likes having their homes flooded every few years. If the resettlement plan is going to succeed it will take that economic incentive into account."

He added: "Any substantial policy about resettlement has to adhere to clear humanitarian and human rights standards ... But I'm not saying government resettlement is infringing on those standards, and when the details are put forth, we expect that they'll meet that standard."

The government "has the well-being of people in mind", said Mark Heffernan, head of the Mozambique delegation of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). He trusted that the resettlement plan, when fully developed, would be fair.

The government, in fact, has an interest in allowing people easy access to the fertile fields. "The greatest challenge in this country is reducing poverty, and the people in these areas are very productive, and work some of the most productive land in the country, even though it's risky," he commented.

Resettlement areas are often located so that residents can leave most of their family members and possessions behind while they stay in temporary shelters in the fields.

Mozambique officials last year formulated a 10-year plan to reduce residents' vulnerability to the annual onslaught of disasters. The plan involves resettlement as well as improved early warning detection systems and education campaigns to inform people about how to prepare for a storm or flood.

The first resettlement areas were developed after the devastating floods of 2000 and 2001, in which more than 700 people died, and were deliberately placed near existing developed areas, so people would have access to schools, health centres and other systems of support they often lacked in the communities they fled. New resettlement areas tend to be attached to established ones.

In another sign of the shifting focus, disaster officials are handing over responsibility for administrating the temporary accommodation centres to provincial governors. The national disaster agency's Zucula hoped a semblance of normal life would return to the evacuated residents while they awaited the end of the storm season. Classes are being held in tents, and officials have introduced sports and social activities in the camps. "It's not a good idea having people sitting around with nothing to do," Zucula said.

As for the relief effort itself, some difficulties cropped up this week. A government official was caught hoarding stolen aid materials; the deputy director of the national disaster agency said some unidentified nongovernmental organisations were not as engaged in their work as they should be; and the head of the Mozambique delegation of relief agency Medecins Sans Frontieres-Switzerland (MSF) said his team had identified about 25,000 people in Zambezia Province who had yet to receive their first shipment of food aid.

Zucula dismissed the MSF claim, saying accommodation centres were sometimes not set up by his agency, but were improvised. "It takes some time to locate them," he commented. "Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. [But] I wouldn't believe 25,000 lack food.

posted March 09, 2007 01:51 PM            

LUSAKA, Mar 9 (Reuters) - Zambia warned on Friday of more floods after weather officials said they expected heavy rains in the next few weeks, increasing fears of a maize shortfall.

Austin Sichinga, a Zambian government permanent secretary, said officials, as a precautionary measure, had started delivering relief food to areas likely to be hit by new floods.

More rain was expected in many areas, he said in a statement.

Two weeks ago, four people died when their car was swept into a river in the mineral-rich Copperbelt region.

Officials said that although there was no immediate risk of flooding to copper and cobalt mines, there could be trouble further down the Zambezi River in Mozambique, which has been hit by serious flooding this year.

"They (floods) have caused extensive damage to crop fields and infrastructure, especially roads and bridges," Sichinga said, adding that food supplies could be hit in many districts.

Sichinga said some Zambians experiencing flood damage will require relief food throughout 2007 even though the country expects another bumper maize harvest overall.

Officials said a crop forecast originally planned for last week had been delayed by the flooding, making it difficult to predict how many people overall might need food help.

Zambia had an estimated 1.1 million people needing food aid due to a drought in 2004-2005, but rains and improved farming practices put the country back into food surplus by 2006.

The U.N. World Food Programme warned on Thursday that large parts of southern Africa could face serious food shortages this year, with some regions hit by floods and others by drought.

Making matters worse, the region's main food supplier South Africa also has had drought problems in its maize-growing regions, which could push up prices and complicate relief operations, the WFP said.

posted March 10, 2007 12:43 PM            

As the flood continues, Cholera cases increase

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is increasing its support to Red Cross National Societies in southern Africa and releasing additional funds, to respond to devastating floods in the region since the beginning of January.

The flooding is also causing a marked increase in cholera cases in some areas. The most affected countries are Angola, Mozambique and Zambia.

Angola: In the Cacuaco region of Angola at least 71 people have died and 184 families have lost all their personal belongings. Roads were submerged and bridges were damaged.

The heavy rains also worsened the cholera outbreak that began last year. Since January 1, a total of 3,868 new cases have been reported in 15 out of 18 provinces, with Luanda, Cabinda and Benguela the most severely hit. Angola Red Cross volunteers have distributed emergency items including tents, chlorine tablets and jerrycans, to 180,000 households as well as hygiene promotion messages.

Zambia: Torrential rains have also lashed parts of Zambia. In the North, they have caused the collapse of 200 houses and pit latrines in the areas of Solwezi and Mpulungu, bringing up serious water and sanitation concerns. Zambia Red Cross is providing emergency help, including chlorine tablets, and is closely monitoring the cholera situation. Cholera cases have been reported in parts of the country since October 2006 and over the last week, the number of cases has been on the rise in the capital, Lusaka. A total of 414 cases have been recorded and some 143 people have died.

Mozambique: Mozambique has also been hit by heavy rains, especially in the North and Central regions. They are expected to continue in parts of the country, bringing fears of more damage. More than 6,000 people lost their homes and crops have been washed away, leading to a risk of food insecurity in the months to come in Nampula province. Mozambique Red Cross has been providing emergency help to those affected by the floods and is closely following developments.

Malawi: Malawi has experienced torrential rains since early January. More than 20,000 households have been affected in the Chikwawa district, 475 houses have collapsed in the Nsanje district and nearly 900 hectares of crops have been washed away. Malawi Red Cross has been providing emergency supplies to the victims, including tents and tarpaulins.

Zimbabwe: In Zimbabwe, at least 9 cases of cholera were reported on January 30 in Mabvuku, a suburb of the capital, Harare. The lack of clean drinking water and the lack of garbage collection are aggravating the threat of communicable diseases. Several cases have also been reported in the Kariba district. The Zimbabwe Red Cross is closely monitoring the situation with the Ministry of health and child welfare In late 2006, severe flooding affected many areas of eastern and central Africa. Today, torrential rains are affecting southern Africa. "The International Federation has released additional funds from its emergency reserves, and is ready to step in with more resources, if needed, since heavy rains are forecast," says Françoise Le Goff, Head of the International Federation's regional delegation in Harare, Zimbabwe. "We need to urgently increase our response capacity by supporting our national societies to reach the victims in the disaster areas with basic commodities and make a difference to the most affected,"she adds.

The International Federation has released more than 270,000 Swiss Francs (US$ 216,000, € 166,000) from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund for Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. An emergency appeal to combat cholera in Angola for 1.2 million Swiss Francs has been extended until June 2007. To date, it is only 55 % covered and donors are urgently requested to increase their support to avoid further spreading the epidemics.

Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - Switzerland

posted March 10, 2007 03:15 PM              

I think El Nino has something to do with all the chaotic weather thats been happening around the world for the last dozen or so months.

posted March 10, 2007 03:58 PM            

quote:

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BTW Id love to visits Zambia/Angola/Mozambique one day...Ive seen pics and damn it looks beautiful there

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True, that's why so many Mozambiquans of Portuguese descent are coming back now. The beach at Beira is the best! Zambia's game parks are nice too as well along with that waterfall of theirs (went there a decade ago).