Cabo Delgado: Heavy rains leave more than 1,000 families without shelter – report

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Cabo Delgado: Heavy rains leave more than 1,000 families without shelter – report

12:33 CAT | 24 Jan 2018

Notícias

One thousand one hundred families have been left homeless as a result of the total or partial destruction of their homes by heavy rains last week in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado.

According to a preliminary assessment by the National Institute for the Management of Disasters (INGC), the bad weather also left a trail of destruction across 1,500 hectares of farm plots and seven national and regional roads.

INGC’s director general, João Machatine, who was in Cabo Delgado on Sunday and Monday, said that the sector’s attention was now focused on assisting the 250 families whose houses have been totally destroyed, and who will receive shelter, food aid and hygiene supplies, among other items.

“We also want to ensure that the roads are reopened and the agricultural campaign is not lost, where farmers cannot save crops in flooded fields,” Machatine said.

The National Road Administration (ANE) in Cabo Delgado says that, as a consequence of the rains, road traffic is currently subject to restriction on the Palma – Quionga (R775), Pemba – Metoro (N1), Pemba – Mecúfi (R760), Unguia – Meluco (R767), Macomia – Mucujo (R766), Oasse – Mueda (R698) and Mueda – Ngapa (N381) roads.

According to ANE, only the Mecúfi – Chiúre and Metuge-Muepane sections are impassable, the first because of flooding of the Megaruma River, and the second because of erosion which ended up damaging the structure of a metal bridge over the Impiri river.

The INGC director general, who visited some Pemba neighbourhoods affected by the rain and Mecúfi yesterday, was informed by district administrator Fernando Natal that there had been no road communication between the district headquarters and the Ntuco area for more than three days because of flooding.

Residents had been using local boats, plus one provided by the INGC, to get from Ntuco and district headquarters for provisions.

Aerial monitoring using drones showed that the flood water was still a long way from decreasing, as was also the case in the Miengueleua region in Macomia as a result of the Messalo river overflowing.

On Monday, Provincial Governor Julio Parruque was in Macomia to assess the situation, having already visited Metuge and the outskirts of Pemba city.