Mozambique: "A country just few inches away from a major humanitarian tragedy"

With these words Ross Mountain, UN Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator, described the situation in Mozambique where floods have already displaced 80,000 people, claimed the lives of 52, and are currently threatening another 50,000.
Talking to reporters in Geneva, upon return from a quick and intense four-day mission, Mountain alerted that the worse is yet to come. A tropical depression, developing now in the Mozambique channel, is likely to strike on land over the week-end. A cyclone would have devastating effects in the Zambezi flood plain. "Water levels are very high and continue rising", Mountain said, noting that people at risk do not want to leave their possessions behind and are unwilling to follow the advice of the government authorities who are trying to convince the population to move to safer grounds. " It is human nature to hold on to our own belongings", Mountain added saying that one million hectares of land are already under water, three to four times as much as the area devastated by last year's floods.

Mountain said that a contingency plan has been prepared and stocks of relief items have been prepositioned in strategic places. If the situation will deteriorate further, more helicopters and powerboats will be required for the evacuations. Motor boats capable of navigating through the strong currents of the bursting rivers are a priority and an urgent request for such items was sent to donor governments: Portugal, the United Kingdom and Italy have pledged their support. Mountain said that the country is more prepared than last year to cope with such disasters and many items are available locally, including 240 boats used for rescue operations one year ago. Moreover, regional coordination and cooperation are better this year, Mountain said, mentioning the effects of the floods in the neighbouring countries of Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Yesterday in Maputo, in the presence of Ross Mountain, a United Nations Inter-Agency Appeal for Flood Relief, for the period March-May 2001, was launched. The appeal amounts to 10.7 million US$, one third of the appeal launched by the government of Mozambique on 21 February and an integral part of it. " A modest amount" Mountain noted, expressing the hope that these requirements for basic survival will be promptly met by the international community.