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Mozambique

WFP: Chronology of Mozambique's worst floods in half-a-century

4-7 February: Torrential rain coupled with seasonal rainfall leads to some of the worst flooding in Mozambique in more than half a century. Waves of water upto eight metres high rush down the Limpopo and Incomati river basins.
7 February: WFP food distribution starts using foof borrowed from in-country stocks from WFP's development projects.

9 February: Mozambique government makes it first appeal for emergency help as in the capital Maputo tens of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes. The worst hit were people living in makeshift homes in the slums around the capital.

The Gaza, Maputo and Inhombane regions are the worst effected with more than 100,000 hectares of agricultural land flooded. Roads, homes and bridges are destroyed, electricity supplies disrupted and towns left without clean water supplies.

Flooding in Sofala makes main north-south road impassable in several places, cutting transport links between capital and second city Beira.

17 February: WFP releases funds to cover immediate emergency needs in Mozambique.

22 February: Tropical cyclone Eline hits Mozambique's southern coast near the central city of Beira - just north of the areas already devastated by the first floods. Winds were measured at 260km/h (160 mph).

24 February: WFP launches first international appeal: $4 million for food and related costs and $2.8 million for search and rescue operation as well as for transporting food and non-food items.

March 1: WFP has already distributed an estimated 476 metric tons of food in southern Mozambique and 656 tons to the central regions.