Mozambique news update.
Aid increases to thousands of displaced people in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai
Cara Anna
BEIRA, Mozambique
The Associated Press
Published March 25, 2019
Updated March 25, 2019
Evacuees from Buzi village carry their belongings as they arrive at a displacement centre near the airport, in Beira, Mozambique, on March 25, 2019.
SIPHIWE SIBEKO/Reuters
Authorities in Mozambique say that with a key road open to the badly damaged city of Beira, conditions on the ground improving and more international help arriving, vital aid to those hit by Cyclone Idai should now flow more freely. Cyclone Idai’s death toll has risen above 750 in the three southern African countries hit 10 days ago by the storm, as workers rush to restore electricity, water and try to prevent outbreak of cholera. In Mozambique the number of dead has risen to 446 while there are 259 dead in Zimbabwe and at least 56 dead in Malawi for a three-nation total of 761.
The death toll is “very preliminary,” said Mozambique’s environment minister, Celso Correia, who said it is expected to rise.
The U.S. military will join the number of international aid groups assisting in providing food and medical care to those affected by the massive cyclone, one of the worst natural disasters in southern Africa in recent history. Some 228,000 displaced people are now in camps across the vast flooded area of Mozambique, said Correia, who is the government’s disaster co-ordinator, briefing journalists on Monday. It is still too early to give a number of missing, he said. Diarrhea is reported in camps but he says it is too early to say whether it is cholera. He has said that it is almost certain that the deadly disease will emerge.
Aid teams are going to high points on islands created by Cyclone Idai and finding “a lot of people,” Correia said. Until all areas can be reached and assessed, it is impossible to say the disaster response effort has turned a corner, he said. When asked by journalists about people found sheltering in a school along the newly opened main road to Beira who said they had not eaten since the storm, Correia said the aid had to be prioritized according to necessity. At least they were found and aid is coming, he said. “They can still hang on for a few days.”
Correia defended Mozambique’s storm warning system, asserting that people knew weeks in advance that trouble was coming. More than 300,000 people were warned in advance, he said. “All reports say the system worked,” he said. Some residents of Beira and Buzi, however, have said they had heard nothing to indicate the scale of the cyclone and were shocked by the quickly rising waters, and some have expressed anger at the government for not giving more warning. Mozambique’s former president, Joachim Chissano, was at the press briefing and said authorities “did what they could” to warn residents. Chissano added that it would take three years to rebuild the city of Beira.
Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, deputy director of the UN Humanitarian operation, told reporters that “a lot more assistance” should be seen by Tuesday as more aid arrives at staging areas such as the Beira airport. He confirmed the reports of diarrhea in camps. “It’s a killer,” he said. He said the government is repairing key roads just enough to allow aid and other trucks to have access, with repair crews on hand when problems arise. They are being repaired “for now, and that’s good enough,” Stampa said. One bright spot amid the hurried response efforts is the weather, which on Monday morning in Beira was dry, partly cloudy and hot. With no rains, the flooded areas should be able to drain. “I’m pretty confident in the weather,” Stampa said. “It’s the only thing I’m confident about.”
The United States military says President Donald Trump has directed it to support relief efforts to help Mozambique with the destruction caused by Cyclone Idai more than a week ago. The U.S. Africa Command statement comes three days after Mozambique’s government made a formal request to the international community for aid. The southern Africa nation earlier declared a national disaster as its president said deaths from the cyclone could reach 1,000. Confirmed deaths are now close to 450. The U.S. statement says AFRICOM provides disaster relief “when it has unique capabilities that can be utilized in the U.S. Government’s response.” It says the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa will lead the U.S. military efforts and that its initial assessments have begun at the scene of the disaster.
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-aid-increases-to-thousands-of-displaced-people-in-mozambique-after/
Chinese rescue team arrives in Mozambique amid rising number of cyclone affected people
Xinhua, March 25, 2019
The number of people affected by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique has risen to 794,000, Mozambican government announced on Monday in Beira, Sofala province in Central Mozambique, adding up to 128,941 have already been rescued.
The deaths toll remains at 446, according to the Minister of Land, Environment and Rural Development Celso Correia, who spoke at a press conference, stressing that the rescue teams have not yet finished searches at all affected sites. Correia said there were already cases of diarrhea reported in some accommodation centers, but the health system is assisting people, and the government is working with partners to make the mitigation plan more efficient.
Asked by Xinhua about the stage of donations and rescues, the minister said the priority is to save lives by delivering food and providing medical care. "We have support in donations and rescue teams that continue to arrive, but now the Institute for Disaster Management is making strategic management," said Correia. "It was exactly the kind of help we need, basically in the field of health, environmental sanitation, among other supports." On Monday morning a group of 65 members from Chinese rescue team arrived at Beira International Airport, followed by some 20 tonnes of equipment and materials for search and rescue, communications and medical treatment.
Minister Correia said that emergency operations are becoming more organized and with targeted approaches, being able to provide quick responses in a timely way.
http://www.china.org.cn/world/2019-03/25/content_74610736.htm
At the request of Mozambique, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated to help those affected by the devastating impact of Cyclone Idai.
EU Reporter Correspondent | March 25, 2019
Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Commissioner Christos Stylianides said: “Mozambique is not alone in these difficult times. More EU support is on its way. We are working 24/7 to deliver essential supplies and save lives. We are also sending EU humanitarian experts to the affected areas to co-ordinate our assistance. I thank our member states for their generous support. This is EU solidarity in action.”
In an immediate response, the Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre has already received offers of assistance from Germany, Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom through the Mechanism. The assistance offered includes water purification equipment, Emergency Medical Teams, tents and shelter equipment, hygiene kits, food and mattresses and satellite telecommunications for humanitarian workers on the ground. Furthermore, a team of 10 experts from seven Member States (Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Slovenia) will be sent to Mozambique to help with logistics and advice.
This additional assistance comes on top of the €3.5 million in EU humanitarian aid already announced earlier this week for Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe as well as €250,000 provided to Mozambique and Malawi Red Cross Societies. The EU’s Copernicus satellite mapping services are also being used to help local authorities working on the ground.
https://www.eureporter.co/frontpage/2019/03/25/eu-channels-further-support-for-mozambique-following-cycloneidai/
