U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
MOZAMBIQUE - Floods
Summary Fact Sheet #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2001    April 6, 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 Institute (INGC) estimates that 494,500
people have been affected by floods. INGC reports that approximately
240,000 people are located in temporary accommodation centers (TACs). The
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(UNOCHA) estimates indicate that 210,000 people are located in 79 TACs.


Current Situation

- While the water levels on the Zambezi River are continuing to fluctuate,
UNOCHA and United States Agency for International Development's Office of
U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) field reports both indicate
that the flood water is slowly receding. UNOCHA estimates that it may take
from four to six weeks for the water to recede to a level at which a large
scale return of displaced persons is possible.

- According to USAID/OFDA field assessments, there is some limited
evidence that displaced persons are beginning to return to their homes to
assess damage and harvest portions of the maize crop that remain above the
water line.

- USAID/OFDA field reports indicate that logistics remains a concern for
the ongoing relief efforts, as many roads remain impassible or unreliable
as a result of continued rain and/or flood damage.

- USAID/OFDA and USAID/Mozambique are continuing to monitor health
concerns resulting from crowded conditions, delayed immunization
campaigns, and a lack of adequate potable water and sanitation. U.S.
Government Assistance

- USAID/OFDA provided a total of $1,400,200 in emergency assistance to
Mozambique in response to the floods. Of this total, USAID/OFDA funded
grants totaling $726,150 to non-governmental organizations to support
those displaced by the flooding.

- Food for the Hungry International (FHI)  received a $210,424 grant to
provide TAC/transit camp management and essential health, water and
sanitation services for 50,000 displaced persons in the Marromeu and
Chinde districts.

- USAID/OFDA provided $277,000 to World Vision International (WVI)  to
support management of TAC/transit camp and provide essential health,
water, and sanitation services to displaced families in the Caia,
Mutarara, Mopeia, and Morrumbala.

- In response to a critical need for air assets to meet immediate
logistical requirements, USAID/OFDA provided a total of $400,000 to
support helicopter, caravan, and cargo air capacities of the international
relief effort. The USAID/OFDA funded aircraft participated in
vulnerability analysis, disaster assessments, and distribution of relief
supplies. USAID/OFDA's contributions towards the logistical requirements
was complemented by $158,488 of additional support provided by
USAID/Mozambique.

- Action Contre la Faim (ACF) received $238,726 from USAID/OFDA to address
the immediate water and sanitation needs of an estimated 24,000 people
living in TACs in the Caia District.

- USAID/OFDA contracted Diplomatic Freight Services, Ltd. on March 22 to
provide aerial surveys of specified affected areas at a cost of $274,050.  
The assessment confirmed that there were not large populations of stranded
persons in need of evacuation by the international community. The
assessment also provided information on the current status of
infrastructure and crop damage for use by USAID/Mozambique and the GRM in
reconstruction efforts.

- Ten staff from USAID/OFDA's Africa Regional Office (ARO) and
headquarters rotated through Mozambique for seven weeks to coordinate the
USG response to the flooding including the provision of assessment,
programming, information, and communication support to USAID/Mozambique.

- 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 pre-
positioned three zodiac boats, capable of relief commodity distribution
and SAR, with NGOs for future use.  Field reports confirm that all three
boats are being operated by OFDA's implementing partners in response to
the current disaster by those trained in 2000.

Agency
Implementing Partner
Sector
Amount


USAID/OFDA

Commercial
Air support for logistics and assessment
$25,000


Commercial
Air support for logistics and assessment
$95,000


Commercial
Air support for logistics and assessment
$50,000


Commercial
Air support for logistics and assessment
$130,000


Commercial
Air support for logistics and assessment
$40,000


Commercial
Air support for logistics and assessment
$60,000


Commercial
Air support for logistics and assessment
$274,050


FHI
Camp Management
$210,424


WVI
Camp Management
$277,000


ACF
Water and Sanitation
$238,726


TOTAL USAID/OFDA        $1,400,200




USAID/MOZAMBIQUE

Air support for logistics and assessment
$158,488
Total USG FY2001        $1,558,688




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), Italy ($1.5 million), Canada ($647,330), Belgium
($1 million), Denmark ($250,025), Japan ($200,000), 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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