|
|
Mozambique: WFP Airlifts Relief Supplies
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
22 January 2008
Posted to the web 22 January 2008
Maputo
The United Nations World food Programme (WFP) has provided an Mi8 helicopter that is now flying relief supplies into the resettlement areas accommodating tens of thousands of Mozambican flood victims in the Zambezi Valley.
According to a WFP press release, this helicopter, based at the small town of Caia, which has become the operational headquarters for Mozambique's relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC), flew its first mission on Monday morning, when it carried 2.2 tonnes of tents, plastic sheeting and mosquito nets to Mutarara, the worst hit district in Tete provinces.
These goods will be distributed by UNICEF. Logistical problems have led to a critical shortage of tents in the resettlement areas.
The helicopter is scheduled to begin carrying WFP food aid on Tuesday, delivering 74 tonnes of grains and pulses over the next four to five days. This will take 30 flights, since the helicopter can only carry 2.5 tonnes per flight.
The WFP releases stressed that "all flight and cargo decisions will be taken in consultation with the INGC and other partners". If necessary, a second WFP helicopter will be sent to Caia to boost the relief effort.
Where possible the WFP has already been delivering food aid by road. Thus a truck carrying 14 tonnes of food was sent last week to a camp for flood victims further south, in the Save valley.
WFP adds that it has also provided three boats to the Mozambican authorities to assist in rescue and evacuation along the Zambezi, and is considering hiring a barge to distribute relief supplies.
Essentially, this continues the work WFP has been doing in the Zambezi Valley since last February's floods. It has been assisting about 190,000 people who lost their crops in the 2007 floods. Between February and December of last year, the WFP distributed 14,500 tonnes of food to flood victims.
WFP warns that, before the current flooding, it was facing a shortfall of around 5,600 tonnes for its relief operations until the end of April.
|
"Considering the scale of the current floods and the increased needs along the Zambezi, this shortfall will increase substantially", the release concludes.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
