Contact: Save the Children UK, 00258 823183230

MOZAMBIQUE, Jan. 27 /Standard Newswire/ -- While the heavy rains that have fallen in the province of Zambezi in the last week have temporarily abated, the consequences for the vulnerable population of this area are still evident. Families have lost homes and property, crops have been destroyed and in some places communities have been displaced. Some 672 families, for example, in Nicoadala district in the central part of Zambezia are now living in temporary shelters or in the open as a result of the river Licaure bursting its bank. In other parts of the province, such as Mopeia district, the full extent of the damage is still unclear because of the continuing impassability of roads due to high water levels and localized flooding.

Quelimane city has also been badly affected. Although some families are now returning to their homes many of them will go back to houses that have been waterlogged for several days. The risk of cholera is ever present. An estimated 1500 households have been seriously affected, the majority of which are currently living in centres set up by the Government in different parts of the city.

Today Save the Children UK has assisted the displaced community in Nicoadala with a donation of over 2000 blankets. Nine large tents and plastic sheeting have also been dispatched to the area to provide affected families with some kind of shelter and protection against the elements. Cooking pots and plates will also be delivered today, since many people who were displaced were unable to rescue their possessions or take them with them when the floods struck over the weekend.

For the residents of Quelimane the organization has also placed over 1500 blankets, household kits, water containers and water purification tablets at the disposal of the Government coordinated Provincial Disaster Relief Committee. It is expected that these items will be distributed tomorrow and on Saturday for those families whose houses have been significantly damaged or remain water-logged in the low lying areas of the city.

In our other areas of operation in the province Save the Children teams continue to remain on high alert due to a continuing concern about water levels and further flooding. The communities in the district of Mopeia which borders the Zambezi River are particularly vulnerable. Indications are that Cabora Bassa, which is now at full capacity, may have to release water into the Zambezi. The river level is already above flood alert and any further discharge of water from the dam could result in immediate negative consequences for the communities further downstream. SC teams have pre-positioned household kits, blankets, water containers and water purification tablets in the district in the event of such an emergency. "With further rains predicted and a wet season still ahead of us there is no room for any complacency," warned Chris McIvor programme director for Save the Children UK in Mozambique.