Mozambique: First came the floods, then the cyclone / Welthungerhilfe releases 50,000 euros of aid to help cyclone victims
Welthungerhilfe
Website: http://www.welthungerhilfe.de
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Bonn, 23rd February 2007. In the aftermath of the devastating floods around the Zambezi Delta, Mozambique has been hit by another natural disaster. On Thursday, the cyclone Favio demolished large parts of the southern coast in the province of Inhambane. Winds reportedly hit
240 km/h as the storm tore through the tourist town of Vilanculos heading north past outlying villages, destroying schools, hospitals and the homes of thousands of people in its path. Roads have been blocked by falling trees and many areas have been cut off. "The storm left behind a trail of destruction," describes Dieter Krebs, Welthungerhilfe's Head of Project in Mozambique who experienced the cyclone in Vilanculos at first hand.
Mozambican authorities have requested Welthungerhilfe to help with clean-up operations and produce the first emergency assessment reports in order to gauge the scale of the disaster. Key roads will be cleared in the coming days using power saws, winches and HGVs so that injured people can been taken to hospital and relief supplies can be brought to local villages. "In the next few days we'll find out how badly people in the countryside have been affected," says Dieter Krebs. "At the moment we have no way of knowing."
In the town of Vilanculos and its surrounding area alone, 30,000 people are now without a roof over their heads. Welthungerhilfe's warehouses were flattened by the cyclone and rains wiped out most food supplies. Welthungerhilfe is one of the few relief organisations which remained in the disaster areas of the province of Inhambane after the heavy floods of 2001, providing long-term development aid in collaboration with its partner organisation.
An interview with Head of Project Dieter Krebs can be arranged upon request.
For further information see www.welthungerhilfe.de
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