Vatican City – The Caritas Confederation continues to bring relief items to people forced to abandon their homes due to flooding in Mozambique, but local and international staff warn that in two to three weeks' time, the government could face an even bigger crisis of hunger.

"For the next two to three weeks, the people affected by the floods have enough food and their basic needs are being met. But after that, within the NGO community people are not convinced that the government and agencies will be able to continue to do that," said Ludger Smolka, communications officer for Caritas Germany, one Caritas member involved in the relief effort.

Mr Smolka pointed out that food supplies were already under strain since other areas of the country had been hit by a harsh drought. In addition, a cyclone over the weekend added to the flood damage by wiping out agricultural fields that hadn't already been submerged. The World Food Programme, meanwhile, has just announced it will have to make big cuts in aid to Zambia, another country affected by the floods, due to a lack of funds.

The government of Mozambique has played down any suggestions that a bigger, international intervention is needed to respond to the current emergency, even though offers have been forthcoming.

Some 170,000 people have been displaced by the flooding, while at least 45 people have been killed. About 50,000 people are living in makeshift camps in tents, simple straw huts, or even just under straw or plastic "roofs" suspended by sticks over their heads. Thousands of other people remain cut off on islands of high ground amidst flooded land or washed out roads and bridges.

Many of the displaced are also being housed with other families, which means many might not be counted in the official data.

"There are reports that 2,000 people are arriving in the temporary shelters every day. There aren't enough toilets and there isn't enough clean water. It's the sort of situation where diarrhea and cholera can become dangerous quickly," Mr Smolka said.

Caritas rapid assessment teams sent to the areas found that thousands of families were not accessing relief aid of any kind. The Confederation's response will seek to fill those gaps.

According to Ernesto Martinho, Secretary General of the Mozambican Caritas, "the greatest needs are food, tents or materials for making tents, kitchen and hygiene sets, as well as mosquito nets."

"We are also asking for seeds and farming tools, since the maize harvest has been lost, and we'll have to start looking to secure the next harvest," Mr Martinho said.

International Caritas members with offices or representation in Mozambique have been involved in the immediate emergency response, including CAFOD of England and Wales, Trocaire of Ireland, and Caritas Germany. They have been carrying out assessment missions in the four dioceses most affected by the flooding: in Chimoio, Tete, Beira and Quelimane (around Caia in central Mozambique, which has become the main logistics point).

The rainy season should reach its peak in March, Mr Smolka of Caritas Germany said, and some officials fear the flood waters could surpass levels of the devastating floods of 2001 that displaced 500,000 people and killed 700. This time, however, early warning systems were in place to soften the impact.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present in over 200 countries and territories.

For more information, contact:  Nancy McNally, CI Media Officer

Tel: +39 06 69879752;  Email: mcnally@caritas.va