MOZAMBIQUE: Communities urged to leave flood prone areas as Zambezi rises

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

JOHANNESBURG, 24 Jan 2006 (IRIN) - Mozambique remains on alert after weekend flooding affected 12,000 people, while government and aid agencies are stepping up disaster preparedness and response programmes.

Water levels in the Zambezi River Basin were still precariously high, said Rita Almeida of the national disaster agency (INGC). "It's not flooding now, but the level is very high and we have asked people to leave [dangerous] areas," she told IRIN.

Red Cross spokesman Moisas Inguane said 12,000 people affected by flooding in Sofala province in central Mozambique over the weekend were in need of food and other assistance.

A team of government and aid agency officials have visited the flooded parts of the province to assess the situation. "The biggest need is to take the people who were affected to safer areas; the second is to allocate food [aid] to these people," he said.

Rescue squads were on standby in various flood-prone areas and Red Cross volunteers were disseminating information on evacuation procedures.

"As part of our emergency preparedness, the Red Cross has distributed around 200 radios to communities to be used to alert people of danger and the need to move to safer areas," Inguane noted.

In the northeastern province of Nampula more than 1,700 houses were destroyed by floodwaters, while more than 280 households were reportedly affected in Inhambane province in the south, where heavy rains swelled rivers to bursting.

The Mozambique Red Cross will also provide affected communities with vegetable seeds, as many households have lost their crops and would need to replant if they are to have some hope of a harvest.

[ENDS]