U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
MOZAMBIQUE - Floods
Fact Sheet #2, Fiscal Year (FY) 2001    March 9, 2001


Background

- In mid to late January, heavy rains over Zambezia province caused the
Licungo River to flood.  In addition to the river flooding, the heavy
rainfall forced thousands of people from their homes. The most affected
areas were Quelimane and Maganja da Costa Districts.

- Heavy rains over Mozambique and its upstream neighbors have caused the
Zambezi and Shire Rivers to rise continuously since January, flooding
areas in Tete, Zambezia, and Sofala Provinces.

- On February 21, the Government of Mozambique (GRM) declared a flood
emergency and appealed to the international community for $30 million in
emergency assistance.

- In response to the devastating floods of 2000, the United States
Congress approved $132 million in supplemental funds for Mozambique to
rehabilitate transportation infrastructure to a standard that will reduce
the risk of flood damage, provide assistance to small and medium
enterprises, provide resettlement grants to 100,000 flood affected
families, and implement disaster preparedness activities.



Numbers Affected

- The National Disaster Management Insitute (INGC) estimates that floods
have displaced 90,000 people, of whom as many as 50,000 are in
accommodation centers.  There have been 75 deaths due to flooding.

- According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the continued rise of rivers throughout the
Zambezi and Shire River valleys could lead to the displacement of an
estimated 80,000-100,000 additional people.

- The GRM and OCHA have determined that 17,000 people in low-lying areas
in the Inhangoma area of Mutarrara District, Tete Province need to be
evacuated.  Another 50,000 people in Marromeu and 25,000 people in Luabo
also need to be evacuated, as water threatens the dikes protecting these
towns.



Current Situation

- The Cahora Bassa Dam is now at maximum capacity.  Discharges remained at
8,356 cm/sec from March 4-6, and were increased on March 7 to 9,000
cm/sec.  Inflows are 7,800 cm/sec and are expected to increase further due
to heavy rains upstream in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

- The water levels at Lake Kariba remain above the maximum safety level
and discharges from Kariba Dam were increased by 50% on March 7 to 4,500
cm/sec.

- President Chissano has listed identification and evacuation of the
at-risk population as priority needs for the short-term, which will
require additional boats and airlift support.

- Tropical cyclone Dera off the coast of Mozambique is expected to slowly
intensify over the next 48 hours and move over the water in a southerly
direction.  The port city of Nacala in Nampula Province reported localized
flooding, disruptions to roads and transportation, and two deaths related
to the passing of the storm system.

- Apart from the storm system, much of the Zambezi River basin is expected
to receive rain showers, with northern Zimbabwe and Tete Province
receiving greater accumulations.

- The Ministry of Agriculture reported on March 9 that an estimated 52,500
rural households and 42,200 hectares have been affected so far by
flooding.

- The town of Caia, located in the center of the affected area, will serve
as the base of operations for the emergency relief efforts. Temporary
accommodation centers (TACs) have been established in Caia. The World Food
Program (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Mozambican
Red Cross, and the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC) have
prepositioned emergency relief commodities in Caia.



U.S. Government Assistance

- On February 21, USAID/OFDA provided $25,000 through USAID/Maputo to meet
immediate logistical support requirements enabling assessments and the
delivery of relief supplies. USAID/OFDA provided an additional $95,000 to
support logistical requirements on February 22. This funding will provide
air transport support for vulnerability analysis, disaster assessments,
and distribution of relief supplies.

- On February 28, USAID/OFDA continued to support logistical requirements
with an additional $50,000.

- USAID/Maputo complemented USAID/OFDA’s contribution of $170,000 for
logistical requirements with $158,488.

- A USAID/OFDA Regional Advisor and an agricultural specialist have been
deployed to Maputo to monitor new developments and conduct assessments of
the affected area.  Two USAID/OFDA Information Officers are currently in
Maputo.

- On March 8, USAID/OFDA provided $726,150 to address the need for
management of temporary accommodation centers (TACs) and provision of
services.  Food for the Hungry International (FHI) and World Vision
International (WVI) were awarded $210,424 and $277,000 respectively to
cover management of accommodation centers/transit camps and provide
essential health, water, and sanitation services as needed.  FHI is
targeting 50,000 displaced persons in Marromeu District, Sofala Province
and Chinde District, Zambezia Province.  WVI is targeting displaced
families who have lost their homes, crops, and household belongings due to
the floods in Caia District, Sofala Province; Mutarara District, Tete
Province; and Mopeia and Morrumbala Districts, Zambezia Province.  Action
Contre la Faim (ACF) will use $238,726 to address the immediate water and
sanitation needs of an estimated 24,000 people living in TACs in the Caia
District.

- In response to the 2000 floods in Mozambique, USAID/OFDA funded $1.8
million in search and rescue (SAR)  and training activities. The training,
conducted by Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Department, reached more than 100
representatives from non-governmental organizations, Mozambican military,
and local fire departments and focused on SAR and relief commodity
distribution capacities. In addition to the training, USAID/OFDA
prepositioned three zodiac boats, capable of relief commodity distribution
and SAR, with NGOs for future use.  Initial field reports confirm that all
three boats are being operated in response to the current disaster by
those trained in 2000.


USG Agency
Action
Funding

USAID/OFDA
Disaster Assistance Authority for immediate logistical support
  requirements
$25,000

USAID/OFDA
Support for logistical requirements
$95,000

USAID/OFDA
Support for logistical requirements
$50,000

USAID/OFDA
Grants to 3 NGOs for TAC management and provision of services
$726,150


Subtotal USAID/OFDA    $896,150


USAID/Maputo
Support for logistical requirements
$158,488

Total USG Assistance    $1,054,638




Other Donor Assistance

- The following donors have provided assistance in response to the
flooding in Mozambique: Germany ($1.8 million), Netherlands ($1 million),
Portugal ($750,000), South Africa ($1.6 million), Sweden ($30,000), United
Kingdom ($4.5 million), Canada ($647,330), Belgium ($1 million), Denmark
($250,025) and Spain ($200,000).

- On March 7, the United Nations Inter-Agency Appeal was launched in
Maputo asking for $10.7 million to assist displaced and affected
populations in Zambezia, Sofala, Tete, and Manica Provinces.



Public Donation Information

- In the interest of effective coordination of public response, USAID
encourages the public to contact directly those private voluntary
organizations (PVOs) currently working in the region in order to provide
monetary donations. Cash donations are the preferred response to the
emergency.

- For a list of non-governmental organizations providing disaster
assistance in the region, please visit USAID's website at
http://www.usaid.gov.  Those interested in providing specific technical
relief services or commodities can obtain guidelines for private voluntary
organizations through Volunteers in Technical Assistance's (VITA's)
Disaster Information Center at http://www.vita.org.

- USAID will not deviate from standard Denton Program procedures for
transporting privately-donated relief supplies.  USAID will prioritize
delivery of essential relief commodities.  For more information on the
Denton Program, please refer to the USAID website at
http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/pvc/denton.html.

- For additional information about the relief effort in Mozambique, please
refer to the Natural Disasters section of ReliefWeb at
http://www.reliefweb.int/


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