Maputo — The United States has promised food aid worth 1.7 million dollars for people displaced from their homes by the current flooding in the Limpopo Valley.

According to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Maputo, the aid will be distributed by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

In addition the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is planning a supplementary donation for shelter, water purification and support for the management of the temporary accommodation centres.

In an immediate response to the disaster, US ambassador Douglas Griffiths, on 24 January, provided an initial sum for clean water supplies and sanitation, which is already being distributed in the flood-stricken areas, and for hygiene promotion activities intended to reduce the risks of water-borne diseases.

The US government also pledges to cooperate with other international partners, such as the UN and the World Bank, to explore other possible disaster relief measures.

The embassy restates the willingness of the United States to act in solidarity with the Mozambican people affected by the natural disasters which strike the country regularly. Since 2000, the US has donated more than 230 million dollars for such emergency relief.