Two die in Caprivi floods

Two people have died in floods in Namibia's north eastern Caprivi region, brought on by a sharp increase in the level of the Zambezi river in the last few weeks. About 22 villages are submerged or surrounded by water in the Kabbe and Katima districts, leaving about 8,600 people and their livestock trapped on small islands with limited grazing and exposed to crocodile attacks, a Namibian Red Cross Society (NRCS) flood report said on Friday. Although residents of the eastern Caprivi expect river levels to rise between April and August, this year's levels are believed to be the highest in 21 years, the report said. There is currently a serious shortage of food in the affected areas, as most of the crops due to be harvested soon were flooded. The flooded areas are inaccessible by road and the only mode of transport is dugout canoes which cannot accommodate many passengers or heavy loads. The flooding follows a drought in the Caprivi which was already expected to cut this season's harvest. Four Red Cross members - two seconded from the Botswana Red Cross Society - sent to assess the damage and coordinate activities have warned that the situation is serious. They said the flood victims are in dire need of basic provisions such as food, transport, boats, tents, mattresses, fishing nets, mosquito nets and blankets. There is also an urgent need to airlift victims who are trapped by the floods to higher grounds. A government official who participated in the Emergency Management Unit's survey of the region on Friday told IRIN the flooding had affected everything. Thirteen schools in the region had also closed. "The crops are covered, the cattle are grazing in the water, there is water in all the houses." A meeting on Friday to study the findings of the survey would determine the extent of government assistance to those affected, he said.