Salvation Army World Service Office Providing Rapid Response Relief to Flooding In Africa
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Editor's Notes: The following story was originally posted on The Salvation Army's World Services Office website. To read the story on the original site, please click HERE. You can also read other updates about The Salvation Army's work in the U.S. and around the world by clicking HERE. Photos by George Prentice and Robert Lloyd.
The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO) is providing support to in the Zambezia province of Mozambique after flooding sparked by heavy rains has killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands.
In the town of Mocuba alone, located in central Zambezia, the flooding caused by an overflowed Licungo river was described as the worst since 1971, having destroyed the homes of 15,000 people. The majority of deaths were caused by drowning, lightning, and collapsed houses.
Emergency teams of The Salvation Army of Zambezia have assisted 4,000 displaced people in Mocuba to move from the disaster affected area to the sites organized by the local government.
SAWSO is supporting relief efforts through funds that will provide food, clothing and hygiene items for thousands in need.
“Natural disasters such as this can be one of the most important causes and sustainers of poverty, and as one of the poorest countries in the world, Mozambique’s limited preparation and mitigation efforts mean that it’s people are more severely affected by disasters,” said Betsy Baldwin, Technical Advisor – Disaster Relief and Recovery. “The Salvation Army, in partnerships with government and other organizations, will continue serving the impacted communities of Mozambique - providing practical, physical and spiritual support at the areas of greatest need.”
Monetary gifts allow us to meet the unique needs of international communities in crisis. If you would like to support disaster relief projects of The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO), please visit https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/SAWSO and designate your gift “Disaster Relief & Reconstruction”.
The Salvation Army is also responding in Malawi after severe floods caused widespread devastation. More than 300 people are reported to be dead or missing, and Colonel Moses Wandulu (Territorial Commander, Malawi) reports that houses, livestock, food and crops have been swept away, leaving survivors with nothing. More than 100,000 people were left homeless, with an estimated 300,000 affected in some way.
The Salvation Army is responding to the needs of vulnerable families in five communities, working in coordination with the government and other agencies to ensure that the most urgent needs are met and that any response is carried out in the most efficient way possible. Distributions are being planned to deliver items such as maize, peas and beans to help support the families' requirements for food, along with mosquito nets to protect against the threat of malaria, and blankets to help people cope with the cold.
The Salvation Army's Canada and Bermuda Territory has already provided almost US$20,000 to provide food, bedding and mosquito nets to 240 people in Chikwawa, but more funds are urgently needed.
Colonel Wandulu says that The Salvation Army in Malawi has been badly affected by the flooding, with some halls and quarters left unusable. Captains Amos and Alice Zikatiwindu and their family at Osiyana Corps (church) only survived by taking refuge up a tree for three days and nights. Colonel Wandulu and the emergency team have visited the captains, providing food and clothing, and supporting the family in prayer.
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