The wave of floods hammering southern Africa, from Angola in the west to Madagascar in the east, has displaced hundreds of thousands, destroying homes and schools and creating fears of disease outbreak. That’s the bad news. The good news is that governments and aid organisations operating in the region have learned from the devastating floods of 2000/01. While there are predictions that these floods may prove worse than those six years ago, planning and preparedness mean help for those who need it has come more quickly and efficiently.
In Mozambique, more than 80Â 000 people have been displaced, 46 000 homes have been washed away and 26 000 people are living in emergency camps in the Zambezia, Manica, Sofala and Tete provinces. “The response of the government has been very impressive,” says Leila Pakkala, Unicef’s country representative.
She believes the swift coordination of emergency and relief measures is the result of proper planning and cooperation between government and civil society partners. Emergency food supplies, water purification chemicals, tents, latrines, mosquito nets, and medical support have been distributed to camps and resettlement zones, and contingency plans are in place to deal with a worst-case scenario — one in which 285 000 people could be displaced.
As disasters go, it is early days yet, and much will depend on whether heavy rains continue to fall in Zambia, necessitating the discharge of more water from the Cahora Bassa dam to prevent it from bursting. The Mozambican government started evacuating people from flood-prone areas as soon as the flood warnings started coming in, says Pakkala, and this has made it easier to provide humanitarian assistance.
While the abiding images of the last Mozambican floods are of starving, terrified people being plucked out of trees by helicopter crews, NGOs believe that the emergency plans they have in place will pay off and mitigate at least some of the effects of this latest natural disaster.
Communicable diseases such as cholera and malaria often add to the misery of displaced people after floods. Wells become contaminated by floodwater, while large amounts of stagnant water provide abundant breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Neighbouring states such as Angola and Zambia have reported cholera epidemics in the wake of the recent floods, but very few cases have been reported in Mozambique. While it remains a risk, according to Chris McIvor, programme director for Save the Children in Mozambique, the focus has been on preventing a cholera outbreak through basic measures such as providing water purification products and sealable water containers, and constructing latrines.
In the 53 camps, which will be home to thousands of these “climate refugees” for the next month or two, the emphasis is on establishing a degree of routine in everyday life.
While the adults are given household kits including blankets, buckets, cooking and eating utensils necessary for survival, children require a slightly different approach.
“Children get very traumatised by these kinds of events, so we try to create a sense of normalcy,” says McIvor. “We reintroduce education as soon as possible, as this helps to stabilise emotional trauma.” Special classroom tents are being set up, complete with “school in a box” kits, which include books, stationery and teaching materials to allow learning to get under way immediately. Playing is also a positive way for children to release tension, so the kits include bats and balls for games to allow the kids to let off a little steam.
Save the Children’s programme attempts to protect children from more than just the weather. A sad reality of humanitarian disasters is that people who are supposed to help often exploit these situations to take advantage of vulnerable women and children, explains McIvor. Workshops will be run in the camps to make both children and adults aware of their rights, and to ensure humanitarian aid workers are aware of their obligations and do not abuse their positions.
Emergency food aid is immediately necessary, but Save the Children believes that in the medium term it will be more beneficial to provide people with cash to purchase food from local markets. This not only reduces dependency and makes more sense than “importing food aid long distances and at great cost”, says McIvor, “it also stimulates the local economy and gives people the dignity of choice.”