Mozambique - Floods and Cyclone Fact Sheet #2, Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

Note: The last fact sheet was dated March 22, 2007.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

From March 19 to 23, a USAID team traveled to flood-affected areas along the Zambezi River Valley in central Mozambique to assess current humanitarian conditions in accommodation centers, identify unmet needs, and provide recommendations for USAID assistance. The team identified food assistance, seeds and tools, shelter, and emergency relief supplies as major needs in Chinde and Morrumbala districts, Zambezia Province; Marromeu District, Sofala Province; and Mutarara District, Tete Province.

On March 26, USAID/OFDA airlifted 50,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) to Beira, Sofala Province. In coordination with relief agencies and the Government of the Republic of Mozambique's (GRM) Ministry of Health, USAID partner Population Services International (PSI) distributed the ITNs to populations affected by the Zambezi River floods.

In response to damage from Cyclone Favio on February 22, USAID/OFDA is funding agricultural recovery projects through the non-governmental organization (NGO) International Relief and Development (IRD) in Massinga District, Inhambane Province.

To assist families displaced by the floods and cyclone, USAID/OFDA provided and airlifted 1,260 rolls of plastic sheeting, which arrived in Maputo, Mozambique's capital, on April 13. The shipment will be consigned to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which along with the Mozambican Red Cross, CARE, and the GRM's National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC), will distribute the plastic sheeting to flood- and cycloneaffected communities.

FY 2007 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE

USAID/OFDA Assistance to Mozambique: $1,525,671

USAID/FFP(1) Assistance to Mozambique: $4,195,700

USAID/Mozambique Assistance to Mozambique: $368,000

Total USAID Humanitarian Assistance to Mozambique: $6,089,371

CURRENT SITUATION

On March 13, the GRM reported that the emergency response to the Zambezi flooding and Cyclone Favio had transitioned to the recovery and reconstruction phase.

Food Assistance

The USAID assessment team reported that the lack of food assistance, irregular food distributions, and inaccessibility to some flood- and cyclone-affected areas remain key concerns. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 163,000 people will require food assistance through the end of April, and 263,000 others will require food assistance until the second season harvest in June and July.

Despite food assistance from the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) since February, food distributions have been insufficient to meet needs in the flood-affected regions. As of March 30, WFP and implementing NGO partners have provided food assistance to more than 125,000 people in the flooded Zambezi River Valley, as well as distributed food commodities to 36,000 people in the cyclone-affected districts.

To meet food needs of populations affected by the floods and the cyclone, USAID's Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) is allocating more than $4 million to WFP for 6,036 metric tons (MT) of food commodities, including yellow split peas, maize meal, corn-soya blend, sorghum, and millet. Of this total, 840 MT of maize meal arrived at the port of Beira on March 7. This shipment was previously intended for distribution in Angola; however, USAID/FFP agreed to the use of the maize meal in the flood and cyclone response in Mozambique.

Food Security and Agricultural Recovery

According to the USAID assessment team, communities affected by the floods and cyclone lost maize, vegetable, and rice crops, as well as seed stocks and agricultural tools. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in coordination with the GRM's Ministry of Agriculture, plans to conduct agricultural input trade fairs in April in the flood- and cyclone-affected districts. At these fairs, FAO will provide families with vouchers that can be redeemed for seeds and tools.

USAID/OFDA is also providing nearly $160,000 to IRD for agricultural recovery projects, including distribution of seeds and tools, to assist 2,000 cyclone-affected families, or approximately 10,000 people, in Massinga District.

Shelter and Emergency Relief Supplies

The USAID team reported that planning for resettlement of affected populations-including land surveys, discussions with local leaders and district and provincial authorities, and demarcation of plots-has begun in all flood-affected districts. However, progress on the resettlement process varies from district to district.

According to INGC, community mobilization and resettlement training with GRM officials has commenced in the four flood-affected provinces. The GRM plans to provide plots to resettle 23,700 families in 52 areas in these provinces. OCHA reported that most plots demarcated to date are within close proximity to accommodation centers and agricultural fields.

In response to the uneven distribution and lack of emergency relief supplies, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and World Vision plan to distribute additional relief supplies to flood-affected families in accommodation centers.

USAID/OFDA's contribution of 1,260 rolls of plastic sheeting will assist an estimated 63,000 people, out of more than 200,000 in need of assistance in the flood- and cyclone-affected areas.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

To ensure access to potable water and appropriate sanitation facilities, international NGOs and U.N. agencies continue to ensure water coverage and availability and support the construction of latrines in the flood-affected provinces. According to the USAID assessment team, the water, sanitation, and hygiene situation remains a concern particularly in accommodation centers with large populations or those without an NGO presence.

Health

According to NGOs and health workers, the incidence of water- and vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, cholera, and acute diarrhea, has decreased since February, when river water levels were high and families initially arrived in accommodation centers. To prevent a potential malaria outbreak, on March 26, USAID/OFDA airlifted 50,000 ITNs for distribution by PSI to approximately 125,000 people, out of an estimated 163,000 people affected by the floods and living in accommodation and resettlement centers.

USAID HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

On March 6, 2007, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Daniel Johnson declared a humanitarian emergency in Mozambique due to the flooding and cyclone. To date, USAID has provided nearly $6.1 million in humanitarian assistance to flood- and cyclone-affected populations in Mozambique.

USAID/OFDA provided $15,000 to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) to rehabilitate the RANET radio tower in Inhambane Province, including radio equipment and storage facilities used for flood and cyclone early warning.

USAID/Mozambique provided $335,000 from development programs to distribute emergency relief supplies, including Certeza, a locally produced water purification product, and ITNs, to flood-affected areas. USAID/Mozambique also allocated $33,000 to AirServ to support interagency aircraft flights to monitor the humanitarian emergency in flooded regions.

Note:

(1) USAID's Office of Food for Peace