Thousands in dire need of assistance

By Claudina Lembe and Antonio Matimbe

Maputo, 19 January: It is a chaotic and heart-breaking scenario, one filled with expressionless faces and children in tears who have hardly eaten anything in days. It is a sight that is becoming increasingly common in the flood stricken areas in Zambezia Province, in the central region of Mozambique. 

Crop fields and homes are under water, and approximately 90 000 people have been affected by the floods. The trail of destruction is also visible on bridges, roads, schools and health facilities. By 19 January, the disaster’s death toll had dramatically risen to 58 people.

Many people, including a significant number of children, have not been accounted for. Government is hard at work to look for these people. Some people are trapped in isolated, places after roads and bridges were severely damaged. This makes it harder for rescue operations.

As we troll down the muddy roads in Namaccura, we catch up with Anabela, a 13 year old girl who shocks us with her story.

"My father is trapped in the fields. He is hanging onto a tree" says Anabela, with her folded hands on her chest looking at the flooded area. It is almost as if she is hoping to see her father emerge from a passing by canoe.  He left home early in the morning and headed for the fields on the banks of Licungo River, which suddenly burst its banks and flooded the surrounding area. 

A few hours later, people fleeing from the flooded areas start to arrive.

There is no sign of Silvestre, Anabela’s father. The family is now more desperate and they decide to go and look for him. 

On a small canoe, a few family members brave the furious current of the Licungo River but give in soon afterwards as the boat starts taking in water and forces them back.

“We can hear a person on a tree crying for help. We cannot do anything. This is the most painful part, you know someone is alive, but you cannot help them,” a relative recounts.

Anabela fears for her father’s life. 

“I am so sad. I don’t know if my father will survive where he is,” the broken-hearted girl says, with tears rolling down her face. 

Tragically, Anabela is just one of the many children who have lost contact with their parents due to flooding in Zambezia province.

Temporary accommodation centres have been set up for those displaced by the heavy rains and overflowing rivers. There is need for water, buckets, tents, medication, food and mosquito nets. 

While there are many sad stories, there are also stories of hope.

World Vision Mozambique has started providing assistance to those affected in Namacurra and Mocuba. The organisation is assisting in search and rescue operations.

As we continue with our walk, we catch up with World Vision staff who are busy distributing family kits comprising a bucket, blankets, jerry cans and bed nets. World Vision is also assisting stricken communities with soap, tarpaulins and water tanks.

World Vision is in talks with other organisations and the government on how they can further intervene as thousands need assistance.

It has been a long day and we start walking back to our base. As we pass through Anabela’s village where we started off, we learn that her father has just been rescued!