Fresh appeals launched

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has appealed for US $4.7 million to support emergency relief operations for 50,000 people in Mozambique and Malawi, whose livelihoods are threatened by this week's rising flood waters, an IFRC statement said. Some 325,000 Mozambicans living along the banks of the Zambezi river are at risk after torrential rains, winds and tropical storms resulted in floods. Some 253,000 people are affected and 23,600 are displaced from their homes, according to early estimates. The Mozambique Red Cross and the Federation have dispatched 4,000 family kits to the flooded areas. Each family kit contains one tent, two blankets, mosquito nets, a kitchen set, used clothes and hygiene articles. World Vision is to open food distribution centres this week in five flood-stricken districts where most of the displaced people are now living, the relief agency said in a statement. The feeding centres are being established within a framework aimed at creating transit camps for displaced people which will ultimately lead to the setting up of resettlement areas. The centres will open this week in conjunction with WFP in Caia and also in Chemba (Sofala Province), Tambara (Manica), Mutarara (Tete) and Morrumbala and Mopeia (Zambezia). From these centres, relief food will be distributed along with 10,000 survival kits, consisting of a plastic sheet, jerry cans, forks, spoons, pots, blankets and capulanas (cloth used by women). Mozambique's two serviceable army helicopters struggled on Thursday to evacuate families from the path of rising floodwaters while South Africa prepared to send in additional planes and men, Reuters reported. Officials said about 120,000 people were at risk from Zambezi floodwaters expected to arrive over the weekend. Earlier, Environment Minister John Kachamila said although many people were moving on their own, using canoes or small roads where they were still passable, thousands more were stranded on shrinking islands with nowhere to go. "We were only operating with one helicopter and with two helicopters from today we should be doing more, but it is still not enough," Kachamila told Reuters. South Africa, whose pilots last year led a marathon effort to help Mozambique through the disaster, said four helicopters and four fixed-wing planes would arrive on Thursday and Friday to help the rescue effort. This year's relief and evacuation task demanded a bigger logistical operation than last year's because it was in an area of poorer infrastructure, Kachamila said. The rough and vast terrain of the country's low-lying Zambezi River valleys made evacuation difficult, he added. Malawi In neighbouring Malawi, nine people have lost their lives while 60,000 people from 117 villages are reported to have been made homeless by the floods, IFRC said. In total, 194,000 people from the Mangochi region, at the southern tip of Lake Malawi, have been affected by the floods. Thirteen of the country's 27 districts have been declared disaster areas. The Malawi Red Cross and the International Federation have sent emergency relief items to the flood-affected region, which are being distributed to families, the IFRC statement said. This includes more than 200 tents, 3,200 blankets, 17,300 metres of plastic sheeting, and 300 tarpaulins. The IFRC appeal for Malawi seeks US $1.5 million to provide relief support to 20,000 victims in the worst-affected Lower Shire area. As well as shelter and basic household items, the Red Cross is providing drinking water, basic health care and sanitation facilities. A field assessment and coordination team (FACT) has been deployed in Malawi to evaluate the medium term needs.