Humanitarian response

2007 Floods: Mozambique humanitarian situation update, 19 February

Children displaced by the floods wait to be registered upon their arrival in Chupanga camp, near the town of Caia, where some three thousand people have sought refuge from severe floods in central Mozambique.

Major Developments

The Cahora Bassa dam discharge rate remained stable at 5,500 m3/s as of 18 February.

As of 18 February, the National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) estimates that approximately 120,791 people have been displaced due to the floods. An estimated 70,925 people are currently in the accommodation centres and 49,866 in the resettlement centres that were established after the 2001 floods.

Needs Assessment

The UNICEF team working with the INGC, local authorities and NGO partners in Caia is continuing to visit accommodation centres in the affected areas to assess immediate needs and monitor emergency response activities. The active case finding assessment to assess the nutritional status of children in the centres is ongoing and the assessment of education needs for all centres has been completed. The team is working with INGC and other partners to ensure that identified needs are met and that the supply distribution plan developed is effectively implemented.

The UNICEF team based in Quelimane (Zambezia province) visited Mopeia on 18 February. The truck of supplies sent from Caia arrived in Mopeia on 18 February, containing 5 rolls of plastic sheeting, 5 boxes of chlorine, 4 water tanks, 60 latrine slabs and 6 large tents. These supplies should cover the immediate needs and an additional need for jerry cans was identified. The UNICEF team is liaising with the INGC and other partners to monitor and address the outstanding supply requirements.

The team also visited 3 accommodation centres in Morrumbala (Zambezia province): Ndabwenda (800 people) and Mponha (800 people) in the Pinda administrative post and Gulengule (500 people from Malawi) in the Megaze administrative post. A rapid nutrition assessment was undertaken on 31 children aged 1-4, which indicated no cases of malnutrition. The priority needs identified were food, family survival kits, Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), latrine slabs, water purification tablets, jerry cans and tents for families. Exact numbers are being consolidated and the UNICEF teams based in Maputo and the Quelimane will respond to the needs in line with the INGC distribution plan.

The UNICEF team in Mutarara (Tete province) visited 2 accommodation centres on 18 February: Alfisha (1,200 people) and Cachaço (150 people). A rapid nutrition assessment on 21 children indicated approximately 30% moderate malnutrition. The priority needs identified included petrol for boats (to enable ongoing monitoring and supply delivery), jerry cans, chlorine, water purification tablets, plastic sheeting, latrine slabs, buckets, soap, tents for health facilities, LLINs and flip charts for hygiene promotion activities. Some supplies are already available on the ground, including buckets provided by the Red Cross, food provided by WFP and Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) provided by World Vision. The UNICEF team is liaising with the INGC and other partners to assess the outstanding supply requirements.

The teams undertaking the multi-sectoral assessment to build upon initial assessments travelled to the affected areas on 18 February to begin work. The assessment will be conducted by governmental and non-governmental partners and will cover areas including education, food, nutrition, health, HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation, market access, shelter, protection, assistance received, status of basic infrastructure and security.

UNICEF Response

Coordination support

UNICEF has supported the INGC to develop a coordination matrix, which allows partners to map where each organisation is working and on which areas, so that gaps in implementation and the distribution of supplies can be clearly highlighted as programmes move forward.

WASH

The water and sanitation supplies provided by UNICEF - 5 rolls of plastic sheeting, 5 boxes of chlorine, 4 water tanks and 60 latrine slabs - sent from Caia to Mopeia on 8 February arrived on 19 February for immediate distribution. The UNICEF team is liaising with the INGC and other partners to monitor and address the outstanding supply requirements.
In Mutarara, 30 portable flipcharts provided by UNICEF have now been distributed to Red Cross activists to conduct hygiene promotion activities in the centres.

Health

The UNICEF Malaria Officer based in Caia is continuing to work with the local health authorities to facilitiate the coordination of malaria prevention, including ensuring effective distribution of ITNs/LLINs (2 per family) and Indoor Residual house Spraying (IRS) in accommodation centres in Caia.
UNICEF is also liaising with Population Services International to ensure that ITNs based in Quelimane are sent to Mopeia for immediate distribution.
The cholera prevention activities being implemented by multimedia mobile units will begin in the accommodation centres in the Tete area on 19 February. Preparations are underway to start work in the Caia and Mopeia areas.

Nutrition

The UNICEF Health and Nutrition Officer in Caia is continuing to support the local health authorities in conducting an active case finding assessment to assess the nutritional status of children (using weight for height). To date, 296 children have been screened; 55 of them were found to be moderately malnourished and 6 severely malnourished. The children have all been referred to the nearest health facilities.
763 cartons of the BP5 – a type of compact food – ordered by UNICEF are expected to arrive in Caia on 19 February. Some of the BP5 will remain in Caia to be used in the supplementary feeding sites pending the arrival of corn soya blend, while the remainder will be distributed to other affected areas according to need.

Education

The assessment of education needs in the Caia area has been completed. The UNICEF team is working with the INGC and local education authorities to ensure that the immediate needs are addressed in line with the INGC distribution plan.
6 large tents sent from Caia have now arrived in Mopeia to be used as temporary learning spaces.

Protection

No separate children have been reported in any of the accommodation centres visited by the UNICEF teams, although there is a lack of disaggregated data in many of the centres. The UNICEF team is working with the INGC and the local authorities to put into place a more thorough system of registering people in the centres.
The situation in relation to policing of those centres visited by UNICEF teams varies greatly: some centres have police, some community police and some no police. UNICEF is liaising with the Ministry of the Interior on the development of a plan to ensure that at least 3 police are deployed to each centre (24 hours a day). The police officers will be given a one-day rapid training on protection issues, particularly of women and children.
In Caia, 40 activists from Save the Children are preparing to conduct orientation on protection issues in the accommodation centres.

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Photo essay

Floods in Mozambique

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