Cape Town - Malawi and Mozambique are bracing for more floods today with tropical cyclone Chedza expected to cause further havoc.
The floods in Mozambique had by Friday reportedly killed 38 people and left thousands homeless and the Mozambican government has asked for help from South Africa, which has deployed 65 troops to the affected areas.
SA Rescue chief Ian Escher said there was a fear of more flooding to come.
He said they had been given a “green light” by the government to leave for Malawi on Wednesday and were prepared to send a team of 30 members but needed to raise about R500 000 for air fares.
SA Navy spokesman Captain Jaco Theunissen said the navy rescue team, which left on Friday, included medical personnel and divers. The operation was expected to last for two weeks but would be longer should the situation worsen.
“The deployment consisted of two Oryx medium transport helicopters, SA Navy divers and medical personnel from the South African Military Health Service.
“The Zambezi River has also risen beyond flood alert level on its middle and lower stretches, adding more challenges to the rescue operation,” Theunissen said.
On Thursday a South African Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying SANDF personnel was flown into the country to assess the situation, he said.
According to Imtiaz Sooliman of aid organisation Gift of the Givers, Malawi was facing the greatest flood disaster in its history.
He said the continuous rain and the “baby” cyclone, Bansi, has resulted in Malawian president Peter Mutharika declaring 15 of the 28 national districts disaster zones.
Mutharika has called for more international assistance.
He said the predominantly affected areas were the Shire Valley, Nsanje, Chikwawa, Blantyre, Balaka, Zomba Chairadzulu, Phalombe, Machinga, Mangochi, Thyolo, Sailma, Mzimba, Nkhatabay, Nkhotakota and Karonga.
Sooliman said the Malawi Defence Force had already rescued more than 4 000 people but feared that many had been trapped in inaccessible areas.
Some 173 people had died, 200 000 people were displaced and 11 000 homes destroyed by floods.
The death toll is expected to rise as it is believed that 183 people have been swept away from one village alone.
“Massive destruction to agriculture, roads, bridges and general infrastructure, including power facilities, has complicated the situation because of prolonged power outages.
“There is a danger of a cholera outbreak and other water-borne diseases because of the absence of clean drinking water and sewage contamination,” Sooliman said.
He said Gift of the Givers had put water rescue teams on standby and medical teams were also ready if required.
His organisation has provided a R500 aid package per family which includes food, blankets, water purification tablets and plastic sheeting.
Amaury Grégoire, the mission head of humanitarian aid organisation Doctors Without Borders, based in Nsanje village in Malawi, on Saturday confirmed concerns of cholera and malaria outbreaks.
He said streams had been contaminated after ablution facilities were disrupted by floods.
Grégoire said they had distributed mosquito nets and water treatment kits. They had also built toilets.
They were also concerned about HIV/Aids patients who had lost their medication.
Weekend Argus