IRIN
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Extreme weather threatens over a million people
5 April 2007


JOHANNESBURG, 5 April 2007 (IRIN) - Following months of erratic weather 
local authorities and aid agencies warn they are stretched beyond 
capacity in Southern Africa, where unusually heavy rains, a string of 
cyclones, severe flooding and extreme drought continue to threaten the 
lives of over a million people.

Communities in Madagascar, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia are 
struggling to recover. "The region has been exceptionally hard hit this 
year. The rains were early and heavier than usual and there have been 
more cyclones in a shorter period than in recent memory, in particular 
in Madagascar," Kelly David, head the United Nations (UN) Office for the 
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Southern African regional 
office, told IRIN.

"As a result, close to one million people in the region have been either 
displaced by flooding or lost their crops will face food shortages 
within a matter of months," she added.

"The rate of HIV/AIDS infection, the number of orphaned and vulnerable 
children, and the lack of social welfare nets stretch governments and 
communities, and make it difficult to rebound from natural disasters," 
she warned.

"The governments in the region have been the first and primary 
responders, but it is easy to see how the cumulative effect of multiple 
disasters - floods and cyclones, and in some countries drought - have 
exhausted emergency reserves. This is why the international community is 
now being called upon to assist governments in their response in some 
places," David added.

In the most recent disaster, cyclone Jaya tore across northern 
Madagascar on Tuesday and Wednesday leaving three dead before weakening 
and dissipating in the Mozambique Channel. Jaya was the sixth mayor 
cyclone to hit the Indian Ocean Island since December. By the end of 
March, Cyclones Bondo, Clovis, Gamede, Favio and Indlala had already 
brought widespread flooding, displacement, and crop damage.

The consequences of Jaya are currently being assessed, but anticipations 
are that the destruction will compound humanitarian needs.

Madagascar's arid south is currently facing a severe drought which has 
brought food insecurity and malnutrition. Cumulatively 450,000 people 
have been affected and "without additional assistance to save lives and 
bolster early recovery efforts, the Malagasy people will continue to 
struggle to obtain shelter, food, potable water, and health care," 
according to an OCHA statement released on Thursday. Over half of the 
recently launched US$ 9.6 million appeal for assistance remains 
unfunded, it added.

"We are overstretched in terms of human capacity and financial 
resources," Dusan Zupka, the Senior Emergency Coordination Officer 
assigned to Madagascar by OCHA in Geneva, told IRIN on Monday

Natural disasters have also destroyed parts of Mozambique where flooding 
brought on by heavy rains caused the Zambezi River to burst its banks in 
early February affecting an estimated 285,000 people. Cyclone Favio then 
crashed into the central Inhambane and Sofala Provinces at the end of 
February affecting an additional 150,000 people.

"While the Government of Mozambique prioritised the allocation of funds 
for disaster response to the floods and cyclone emergencies, national 
resources were not sufficient to meet the humanitarian needs of the 
affected populations," according to OCHA.

"One of the reasons why the floods have had such a devastating impact is 
because they affect the most vulnerable people. Subsistence farmers, 
fishermen, traders-they all have little savings or community resources 
on which to rely. In some areas of Madagascar and Mozambique, these were 
the same people who suffered from floods and cyclones in 2001 and 2004," 
Davis commented.

In Zambia excessive rainfall caused widespread flooding when the 
Zambezi, Kafue and Luangwa Rivers over spilled in February. Next to 
displacing thousands, crops, houses and public infrastructure were 
destroyed. "An estimated 295,000 people were directly affected by the 
floods and will require assistance in the rehabilitation of their 
houses, latrines, water wells, schools, clinics, roads and other 
infrastructure over the next year," the OCHA report said.

Current heavy rainfall and flooding in Angola displaced 30,000 people, 
according to official figures, and aid agencies warn the contamination 
of water sources and increases in water-borne diseases and malaria pose 
additional threats to vulnerable populations. The cholera outbreak in 
Angola - ongoing since January 2006 - "has flared up again - and is 
again affecting thousands of people each month," OCHA said.

In Namibia water levels are still keeping thousands in camps after 
flooding in the northern Caprivi region in early March, and aid agencies 
warn it could take months before displaced residents can return home. 
"Water has been receding, but not enough for people to start going back 
to their homes," Tapiwa Gomo, Regional Information Officer of the 
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, told IRIN. The 
flooding displaced a estimated 15,000 people.

"With global warming, we can expect to see more of the same in coming 
years, that is increased frequency and intensity of tropical storms, and 
adverse weather. Governments and the international community have to be 
even better prepared for them, which requires that more time and money 
be spent on prevention and preparedness activities. This needs to be our 
primary focus in the coming year," David warned.

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