JOHANNESBURG - The Red Cross has provided more than 2,300 isolated survivors of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique with emergency supplies, a Wednesday statement from the international organisation confirmed.
Tuesday's major delivery to the community of Buzi, which lies to the south of the city of Beira, took place after the community had been almost entirely cut off from large-scale assistance as a result of the flooding and damage caused by the unprecedented storm more than two weeks ago.
Those who received the aid are the first of a targeted 20,000 people in Buzi who will receive aid.
“The distribution efforts that began yesterday in Buzi are a significant milestone in this disaster response due to the inaccessibility of communities," said Jamie LeSueur, team leader for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
"All relief supplies brought in for this distribution were delivered by boat and air, as all road access has been completely impossible."
The Red Cross delivery included basic essential relief items such as shelter kits, jerry cans, kitchen sets, tarpaulins, buckets and tools.
Supplies that will help stave off the growing threat of disease that many communities are facing, including clean water and mosquito nets, were also provided.
The Mozambique Red Cross has been on the ground even before Cyclone Idai struck and continues to support more than 200,000 people across the disaster zone. Cyclone Idai is the worst humanitarian crisis in Mozambique’s recent history.
“We know there are many hard-hit areas like Buzi where people desperately need help. We are doing all we can to reach these people as quickly as possible,” said LeSueur.
“The families that we met yesterday have been through so much. But there was real joy today, and it was amazing to see the resilience of these people as they begin down a path to rebuild their lives".