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Death Toll Rises in Mozambique From Storm

By Jessica W 09/02/2012 16:09:00

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Death Toll Rises in Mozambique From Storm

Maputo — The known death toll from tropical depression "Dando" and cyclone "Funso", which hit southern and central Mozambique in January, has risen from 37 to 40, according to the government spokesperson, Deputy Justice Minister Alberto Nkutumula.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting on Tuesday of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet), Nkutumula said that the government's new estimate of the number of people directly affected by the torrential rains, high winds and flooding brought by the two storm systems is 119,000.

In Maputo City, five accommodation centres remain open for people whose homes collapsed during the January storms. 459 people are living in these centres, They are waiting to be allocated plots of land on which they can build new houses.

All the food needs of the people displaced by the flooding are being met by the government in coordination with the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Nkutumula warned that the situation could deteriorate further since the rainy season is far from over. The weather forecast for the rest of this month and for March is for normal to above normal rainfall for much of the country.

Following the partial opening of a floodgate on the Cahora Bassa dam, and the contribution from major tributaries such as the Revobue and the Shire, the Zambezi river has risen above flood alert level on its lower reaches, at Caia and Marromeu.

Further heavy rains in the Zambezi basin, forecast for Thursday, could lead to flooding in these two districts.

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