Mozambique after Cyclone Idai: ′Some people have not eaten in weeks′ | Africa | DW | 21.04.2019

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Africa

Mozambique after Cyclone Idai: 'Some people have not eaten in weeks'

The UN has described Cyclone Idai as one of the deadliest storms on record in the Southern Hemisphere. More than 1,000 have died, and millions are still fighting for survival. DW spoke with aid worker Ninja Taprogge.

Women and children wait in a queue for oral cholera vaccinations, at a camp for displaced survivors (picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Mukwazhi)

DW: You're currently in Mozambique, which was hardest hit when Cyclone Idai struck southeast Africa in late March. How is the situation there?

Ninja Taprogge: The situation in Mozambique remains tragic. I just came back from the city of Beira. Many places are still flooded. And several days ago, we went to a small village where locals still had not received any help. Our organization distributed supplies to 2,000 families there. Each family received 30 kilos (about 65 pounds) of rice, 5 kilos of beans and 2 liters (half a gallon) of oil.

Watch video 03:14

Idai carves path of destruction in Mozambique

What have locals reported?

I talked with a woman who has been living solely on corn she has found in her fields. Her village, and the entire surrounding region, was flooded. She showed me the corn. It smelled foul, and was very dirty. She then told me that one of her children is now suffering stomach pains and has diarrhea. We had a look at the fields — they were totally destroyed.

Read more: After Cyclone Idai, 'Beira has found itself in the dark' 

What are peoples' living conditions like?

Many are living in emergency shelters. People are living cheek by jowl. More than 240,000 homes were severely damaged or destroyed. It will take a long time until they're rebuilt. CARE is assisting in these efforts by providing tarps and ropes to families, so they can at least make temporary shelters. The regional infrastructure was also badly damaged, and many schools were destroyed. Our organization is helping by building tents that serve as temporary classrooms.

Map of Cyclone Idai's path in Mozambique

 

Which diseases are causing the greatest problems?

Malaria, in particular. With temporary shelters, families are sleeping in the open, and they need mosquito nets to protect themselves from diseases. CARE and other humanitarian organizations are very concerned about this.

Read more: Mozambique cholera outbreak underscores UN warning on extreme weather

How long do you think CARE will have to remain in the region and provide aid?

The biggest problem is that crops have been entirely destroyed. Experts estimate that more than 700,000 hectares (about 1,700 acres) of arable land were wiped out by the floods. It's important that we provide help now, because some people have not eaten in weeks. But we need to stay for longer than that. People must also have access to seeds, to grow new crops.

Currently, there isn't enough money to address this crisis. The United Nations has said it will only provide 23% of the necessary €250 million ($280 million). That's far too little.

What needs to happen over the next few months?

We need more money to deliver urgently needed help, but also to undertake reconstruction work and assist people in rebuilding their homes. We need to help them plant crops and generate a living, so that their families can survive.

Ninja Taprogge works as a media liaison for CARE Germany, a humanitarian relief agency.

  • Doctors carry out routine checkups on adults and children waiting (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Routine checkup

    Two weeks after Idai struck, some 20 doctors and health workers traveled to accomodation centers in Dhugudiua and Namitangurine. The latter houses the biggest populations of displaced flood victims in Zambezia province. The health professionals are carrying out routine checkups in an effort to control the spread of disease.

  • People wait in line to be seen by a health worker (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Poor health

    Many of those taking shelter in Dhugudiua suffer from respiratory diseases, malaria or diarrhea. About 30 people receive medical treatment daily in the facility, which was set up in March in the aftermath of the flooding. Health authorities say the majority of those displaced by Cyclone Idai have some kind of health problem.

  • People stand in front of a makeshift shelter (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    One tent for ten people

    It's increasingly difficult for people to find a space in a tent at the Namitangurine accommodation site. The camp has been receiving displaced people since 2012, but the floods have put even more pressure on accommodation. Up to ten people can live in one tent, authorities say. More than a thousand families are currently seeking refuge here.

  • Mosambik | Leben nach der Flutkatastrophe in Zambezia (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Destroyed homes

    About 80 families are sheltering in tents in the Dhugudiua centre, 45 km from Quelimane, the capital of Zambezia province. Most of them are women and children who lost their houses because of Cyclone Idai.

  • Rows of large tents seen from the sky (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Provisional services

    As well as accommodation, the tents also serve as provisional health units as well as points for the distribution of social services.

  • Stones are grouped together to support a pot (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Outdoor cooking

    Dhugudiua centrer has just one one kitchen for everyone to prepare their meals, so many families have taken to cooking outside. The groups of stones dotting the ground mark where people have set up makeshift cooking fires.

  • Three people sit outside a tent with a plastic bucket containing rations (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Lack of protein

    Although people at Dhugudiua shelter are receiving enough food to still their hunger, it's not a balanced diet. They are getting flour, rice and other food from various donors. But protein is scarce - there's no fish and there aren't enough beans to go around.

  • A large green water tank (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Running water

    Thanks to a mobile water tank with a capacity of 1,000 liters, people have enough water for bathing as well as for washing dishes and clothes.

  • Three health workers wearking Red Cross vest stand outside (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Sanitation and hygiene

    In Nicoadala District, about 20 volunteers work exclusively on monitoring hygiene standards in the accommodation centers. They check the quality of the water consumed by the families, ensure tents are clean and sensitize residents about good hygiene practices. The main objective - to avoid outbreaks of cholera and malaria.

  • Two people sit outside a small tent (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Deep despair

    Despite the support received in the accommodation centers, many families are desperate. They still don't know when they will be able to start rebuilding their homes and their lives. Before the cyclone, many of the men worked as carpenters or locksmiths. Now, they are unemployed and have no way of earning a living. The women mourn the loss of their fields.

  • People stand around waiting (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Waiting for land

    People in the accommodation centers are awaiting the distribution of land. Many are keen to be placed in safer areas that are less vulnerable to flooding. Distributing land to the cyclone victims was a promise made by the Zambezia provincial authorities.

  • Doctors in white coats stand under a covered area (DW/M. Mueia)

    Cyclone Idai: Relief camps for flood victims under pressure

    Accepting health services

    The doctors here say they are satisfied with how people are responding to health checkups they are offering, particularly voluntary HIV and malaria testing.

    Author: Karina Gomes


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