By Jeff Koinange
BEIRA, Mozambique (Reuters) - Thousands of people may have to be evacuated if a tropical storm building in the Indian Ocean sweeps over flood-stricken areas of Mozambique this weekend, officials said on Tuesday.
Mozambican Transport Minister Tomaz Salomao said relief teams planned to rush emergency supplies to the Inhangoma area where up to 50,000 people were at most risk from the storm.
"Inhangoma is the most serious and the most threatened area where we need to concentrate our attention," Salomao told a news conference in the port of Beira.
"If this situation (the storm) continues to deteriorate, then I recommend we call in higher military intervention," he said, adding that thousands would have to be evacuated.
There were fears that the storm could become a mini-cyclone and add to the devastation caused by the massive volume of water already flowing down the Zambezi River and its tributaries.
At least 52 people have died and more than 85,000 been made homeless by flooding in Mozambique, a year after the southern African country's worst ever floods killed more than 700 people.
Last year's crisis was made worse by a major cyclone which hammered southern and central Mozambique.
"Reports are indicating that the floodwaters are rising and there is a tropical depression building off the coast of Madagascar which is cause for worry," said Ross Mountain, assistant emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations.
But a forecaster for the South African Weather Bureau said the mini-cyclone currently hovering over northern Madagascar could peter out over the next few days.
"I don't think the cyclone will move toward Mozambique. It is currently over northern Madagascar and cyclone systems normally die on land," the forecaster said.
South African helicopters were expected to shift their focus on Wednesday to Inhangoma, located about 100 kms (60 miles) north of Beira on the edge of the lower Zambezi river valley.
South African pilots, who won praise for their daring rescues during last year's huge floods, delivered supplies but did not pick up any refugees on Tuesday.
HELICOPTERS DELIVER SUPPLIES
South African and World Food Programme helicopters on Monday airlifted 444 people trapped by rising floodwaters, as well as delivering food and other supplies.
Thousands have waded or paddled canoes and dinghies to safety, but many have stubbornly refused to abandon their homes.
"Many people clearly do not want to leave their homes. This makes it difficult," said Mountain, who flew over several flood-stricken areas on Tuesday.
Mozambican officials said the situation in central parts of the Zambezi River valley appeared to be under control, many people having moved to safer areas.
But the upper and lower valleys remained critical, said Joao Zamissa of Mozambique's Disaster Management Authority. "The situation is still very serious and very dangerous, for levels of water are still rising," he said.
WFP spokeswoman Brenda Barton said her organisation and other aid agencies were building up stockpiles of food and medical supplies in case the situation worsened.
"There are reports about a mini-cyclone that's going to sweep through Mozambique by the weekend and by the time it hits Mozambique it will be a tropical depression," Barton said.
The U.N. food agency estimated that floods had ruined 22,000 hectares (55,000 acres) of land in Mozambique this year, and more rain would reduce a harvest already stunted by drought in January.
Heavy rains have continued to pound neighbouring Zimbabwe, where the wet weather threatens to cut the yield and quality of the key tobacco crop which brings in more than 30 percent of Zimbabwe's hard currency.
Zimbabwe's staple maize crop is forecast to be 40 percent smaller than last year's as heavy rains batter crops already hit by prolonged dry weather.