Mozambique Prepares for Another Year of Deadly Floods

Written by Mason Anderson, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

January 16, 2002 — With another rainy season underway in Mozambique, the impoverished South African country is bracing itself for a third year of potentially deadly floods. As torrential rains threaten eventual disaster, relief agencies are stockpiling food and supplies should the worst occur.

Floods are already considered likely this year because, despite being only halfway through its October to April rainy season, dams are nearly full and the ground in many areas is already saturated.

An estimated 8.4 tons of food, primarily rice and corn, have been stockpiled – enough food for more than 480,000 residents, reports CNN. The country has also gathered 189 boats, 188 trucks, 76 light vehicles and 41 tractors, keeping all transportation resources on standby should immediate evacuations be necessary.

Further precautionary measures include the distribution of power generators, water pumps, tents, blankets and medical supplies throughout provinces of Mozambique most susceptible to flooding.

The American Red Cross has been active in Mozambique since Jan. 2000, when a series of cyclones flooded the country's rivers, leaving thousands of people stranded on rooftops and tree branches for weeks throughout north and central Mozambique. More than 700 people were killed, and 150,000 homes and livelihoods were washed away, causing some $1 billion in damage, according to World Bank figures.

For two successive years, floodwaters have many roads in Mozambique impassable, making relief work difficult.

Along with other relief organizations, the American Red Cross and the Mozambique Red Cross assisted with the extensive recovery project and distributed tents, plastic sheets, water filters and other relief supplies to the more than 800,000 displaced residents.

The massive destruction caused by the extensive flooding served as a lesson to the Mozambique government. Several villages that once stood on former riverbeds and floodplains were rebuilt in safer locations, particularly in the hardest hit Maputa province, and many fragile huts were replaced with sturdier cinderblock homes.

Just one year later, however, many relief efforts were destroyed by another deadly season of downpours. In Jan. 2001, torrential rains again overflowed rivers, leaving much of the same provinces still reeling from the year before again underwater. Tens of thousands of residents living in low-lying areas again were evacuated from Tete, Beira and Zambezia, the hardest hit province. More than 100 people died and 310,000 lost homes or crops.

Despite the destruction, the 2001 floods were less deadly than the year before because of precautions taken by the country. The previous year, hundreds of people died while waiting for rescue workers, impeded by washed out roads and bridges, to arrive in their flooded villages. Many waited weeks for clean water and food. In 2001, relief workers were on-hand, ready to distribute food and supplies.

Stagnant floodwaters lead to the spread of deadly diseases such as malaria and cholera.

One of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Mozambique is ranked 166 out of 174 countries in the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) Human Development Index, which measures a country's achievements in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted real income. With a Gross Domestic Product of only $250 per capita, nearly 70 percent of the population lives in absolute poverty, making it extremely vulnerable to disasters as recovery and reconstruction are very financially very limited.

Flooding is particularly dangerous in Mozambique because of the resulting water contamination. In the past two years, floodwaters have contaminated the country's wells and destroyed latrines, leading to the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera. The standing water left by floodwaters also attract mosquitoes that carry malaria, another deadly contagious disease.

Floodwaters are also especially dangerous because 71 percent of the country is rural, with 88 percent of the population depending directly on agriculture and fisheries for food and wages, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

When crops are destroyed and with no other major source of income, the country is forced to rely on the help of aid agencies. Government officials in Mozambique are anticipating the need for at least $40 million in aid if floods occur.