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Torrential rains continued on Tuesday in northern Mozambique, days after hurricane Kenneth, as the United Nations said aid workers were facing "an incredibly difficult situation" to reach thousands of survivors.
The rains interrupted relief operations for a third consecutive day, leaving some of the most affected communities affected by supply problems.
A planned World Food Program (WFP) flight to Ibo Island was on standby until weather conditions improved, according to Deborah Nguyen, spokesman for the World Food Program (WFP). agency.
"We are really concerned about the situation of the inhabitants of the island of Ibo," she said, as they had been left outside after the destruction of the majority of homes and homes. with very limited food.
"For us, it's a frustrating day … We can not do anything to reach these islands now," she said.
The government again urged residents of the main town of Pemba to flee to the heights as flooding continued.
More than 570 milliliters have fallen in Pemba since Kenneth made landfall Thursday, just six weeks after cyclone Idai hit central Mozambique.
This is the first time that two cyclones hit southern Africa in one season and Kenneth was the first hurricane recorded so far in northern Mozambique, in the modern era of satellite imagery.
The last storm killed at least 41 people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes.
According to estimates from the UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA), rivers in the region are expected to reach their peak of flooding by Thursday, up to 50 milliliters of rain from now on. hours.
Tuesday morning, during a break in the showers, some humanitarian flights managed to get food to the continental district of Quissanga and the island of Matemo.
"These people have lost everything," said Gemma Connell, spokeswoman for OCHA. "It's essential to provide them with the food they need to survive."
Women and children have been hardest hit "without the basic elements they need to survive," especially shelters, she said.
Landslides
Heavy rains also caused a landslide on a Sunday discharge, killing at least five people, Pemba Mayor Florete Matarua told local TV channel STV. The people all belonged to the same family and several other houses had also been buried, STV reported.
The death toll was expected to increase as government officials had not yet reached all areas affected by the storm.
Kenneth, packed with storms and winds of up to 280 km per hour, devastated villages and islands on 60 km of coastline in northern Mozambique.
Nearly 35,000 homes were completely or partially destroyed, the government said, and infrastructure and crops were also destroyed.
Preliminary government badessments suggest that 31,000 hectares of crops were lost in an area already vulnerable to food shortages. Fishing and other essential sources of livelihood such as coconut palms have also been damaged.
"Food availability in the short, medium and long term is worrisome," said Hervé Verhoosel, WFP spokesperson in Geneva.
Authorities were also preparing for a possible cholera outbreak, with some wells contaminated and drinking water a growing concern.
With the two deadly cyclones, Idai killed more than 600 people last month, Mozambique is "a very complex humanitarian situation," said Connell, spokeswoman for OCHA. Only a quarter of the funds needed for Idai's relief efforts were paid, while those of Kenneth were slow.
"It's a new crisis," she said. "We have to go through both operations, which is a fundamental reality we face every day."
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