IRIN Southern Africa - Floods 14 April 2000
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Floods report JOHANNESBURG, 14 April (IRIN) - The United Nations system, in coordination with the Malagasy government relief agency, the Conseil national de secours (CNS), NGOs and donor governments this week established a full-scale emergency relief operation for an estimated 300,000 flood victims in Madagascar. In neighbouring Mozambique, where the South African Weather Bureau forecast more rains for the flood-ravaged south of the country, a WFP spokesman told IRIN on Friday there was concern over dwindling food stocks for over half a million flood victims still in need of assistance. MADAGASCAR Adama Guinda, the UN Representative in the Malagasy capital, Antananarivo, has set up a carefully coordinated operational relief plan for flood victims whose homes and crops were destroyed when cyclone Hudah - the third major storm to sweep the island since February - brought severe damage to the northeast of the country. Donato Kiniger-Passigli, a spokesman for the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told IRIN road access in the northeast remained a major problem. But he said the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had allocated funds for three helicopters, and four Zodiak motorised rubber boats. The European Union, France, Britain and other donors had also stepped in with funding for emergency food, shelter, medicine and other relief requirements. Coordination centres "At the request of the UNDP Resident Representative, and in support to the Malagasy Government, a coordination team consisting of one UNDP and two OCHA staff members has established a coordination centre in Maroantsetra," he said referring to one of the northeast coastal towns which sustained severe damage. "The team will assist in the establishment of a logistics and coordination centre at Maroantsetra under the leadership of the Government and in coordination with local authorities, NGOs and UN Agencies. A WFP logistician is already there and a UNICEF doctor is expected today." He said the government relief agency, the conseil national de secours (CNS) had also opened a logistics centre in Antalaha, a coastal town north of Maroantsetra which sustained the worst damage. With the support of WFP, the Antalaha office will deal with logistics, health, evaluation and follow-up relief activities. Progress so far The government has restored the water supply in the Antalaha district, while electricity is expected to start up again in coming days. In its latest situation report, OCHA said: "The port of Antalaha is being cleared, and seems accessible in spite of the debris on the shore. The road leading inland to Sambava is being cleared with the help of Malagasy army." Earlier during the week, the CNS dispatched a convoy of seven lorries to the country's main east coast port at Toamasina with 300 metal sheets for temporary shelter, blankets, soap, plastic sheeting and 4 WHO cholera kits to help flood victims in Antalaha, Maroantsetra, Andapa and Sambava. OCHA said 45 mt of emergency food had been sent by boat to Maroantsetra by boat, while on Tuesday a French military cargo plane delivered 11 mt of emergency relief supplies. WFP said it wanted to boost maritime deliveries and envisaged renting a boat capable of taking cargos of up to 150 mt. The agency had also sent 100 mt of rice by road to Toamasina. Assessment WFP and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) plan to conduct a month-long survey of the central and northern regions to assess the damage to farmland. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has sent two specialists to help the CNS evaluate infrastructure damage. The World Bank and the Banque Africaine de developpement (BAD) are also launching a damage assessment mission to study post-cyclone rehabilitation needs. Starting today, it is expected to last three weeks and will cover 5 affected districts, the OCHA report said. Floods appeal At the request of the Malagasy government, the United Nations this week launched a new "flash appeal" seeking US $15.7 million from donors to provide urgent humanitarian assistance. Further details on the emergency operation are available on the OCHA Internet Website at: http://www.reliefweb.int. MOZAMBIQUE In Mozambique, WFP spokesman Inyene Udoyen, told IRIN current food stocks for an estimated 570,000 flood victims were only sufficient to last another five weeks. "The basic worry here is that our appeal for the operation is not even near fully resourced," he said. "While we have sufficient food for the next couple of months, it is hand-to-mouth situation. All the stocks we are receiving are being used for emergency operations. We have borrowed quite heavily from our development projects in Mozambique and this is stock that will have to be replaced." In March following the passage of cyclones Eline and Gloria, WFP launched an international appeal for US $34 million to finance emergency food rations as well as the cost of food-for-work projects. The request raised the total funding required for Mozambique to US $45.2 million, enough to cover the food needs of 650,000 people until a second harvest due in mid-August. The appeal included US $5.3 million to guarantee the continued use of six South African National Defence Force aircraft for food aid transport as well as the rehabilitation of key roads and railways. But Udoyen said funding for the air operation was only sufficient until the end of the month, while road rehabilitation had not been allocated resources. "And we are still in a situation where we are assisting isolated populations by helicopter." Roads He said road access across the Limpopo River in southern Mozambique was still not possible because the road from Chicumbane to Xai-Xai remained cut in five places, and that only one section had so far been repaired. The government relief commission, the Instituto Nacional Gestao de Calamidades (INGC), said priority was being given to repairing an alternate route, but that it would take at least two weeks before the new route would be ready. The road from Pambara to Vilankulos, also in the south of Mozambique, has problems with a stretch of 400 metres that needs to be filled, the INGC said. "It was noted that South Africa might be willing to switch its contribution from air assets to roads," it added. "It could, for example, provide floating bridges and 4 x 4 vehicles for access to isolated communities." 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