Thursday, January 24, 2013

Update on the Floods in Mozambique

We keep receiving news from Mozambique, not always the most pleasant:

Water starts to lower in Chokwé. Damage still to be evaluated
In Chokwé, the water has now started to lower but the population is still on top of trees and houses, according to reports from our ALG Local Partners Hilario and Silvestre.  The damages are still difficult to evaluate, given most goods were taken by the floods and the production from the family farms is now ruined for the months to come.
Silvestre, ALG Local Parner,
sheltered with his family in a roof to escape the flooding
"The overvflow of River Limpopo led to the evacuation of millions of people in the City of Chokwé, in the South of Mozambique, as reported by Radio Moçambique, which referred to a similar situation in Vila Caniçado, in the same province.
According to the radio station, "thousands of people in need", carrying their few goods next to vehicles and any cattle, were heading to Chiaquelane, 30kms from Chokwé, the place selected by the Local Authoritities to receive the victimes of the floods." (TV24)
"With the heavy flows from South Africa, the water levels of the rivers Incomati and Limpopo, surrounding the provinces of Gaza and Maputo, keep overflowing extensive areas and endangering human lives and loss of goods.  The Chokwé Municipality, in the Gaza Province, was yesterday submerged.  The next 48 hours will stay in high risk alert and downtown Xai-Xai, the capital of the Province, by the River Limpopo, is now in serious danger of suffering sever flooding."(CanalMoz)

Floods now threthen Xai-Xai
The day starts difficult in Xai-Xai.  The ALG Local Partners visited the ground today as many children missed school.  "The path between Xai-Xai and Chongoene looks like a refugee camp, we expect the worse this afternoon.  We were housing people with us through the night".
Xai-Xai was one of the most affected areas by the 2000 floods, as it is in a particularly vulnerable area of the River Limpopo.  "In 2000, downtown Xai-Xai, crossed by National Road 1 which connects the North and South of the Company, was completely flooded and destroyed.  It was totally rebuilt in the aftermath in an unprecedented effort and has regained life but yesterday, reports from the city mentioned populations were already exiting the lower zones expecting the worse." (Canal Moz)

"Next 48 hours are high risk".

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