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Add to Preferred SourcesThe International Organization for Migration (IOM) has responded to the deadly Cyclone Idai, which has taken over 500 lives across Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.
“A week after the cyclone we’re starting to grasp the scope and complexity of the challenges facing the governments and peoples of these three nations. Moving forward we will continue to work with our UN and governmental partners to address the immediate and life-saving needs of the most affected communities, particularly relating to the provision of badly needed shelter assistance and Non-Food Items,” said Mohammed Abdiker, Director of IOM’s Department of Operations and Emergencies.
IOM and its international partners are working on the details of a broad appeal that will be issued in coming days to assist those affected by the emergency across the three nations.
Conditions are challenging everywhere, after the cyclone made landfall on March 15; thousands are stranded in tropical zones without bridges or accessible roads.
Shelter materials from the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID), including 7,550 shelter kits and 100 family tents sufficient for 38,000 people, arrived in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo. More emergency aid is due to arrive from Switzerland and Italy.
“The situation is very bad. The damage is quite serious,” said IOM Mozambique Chief of Mission Katharina Schnoering. “There are many communications issues.” Difficulty restoring power to the large city of Beira and problems with road access, where the rising Buzi River has washed out sections of highway, also complicate aid delivery.
Among national and international partners responding to the crisis, the Government of Zimbabwe through the Department of Civil Protection (CPD) requested IOM be the lead agency on shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI) cluster.
IOM Zimbabwe has dispatched 1,000 tarpaulins and 200 Non-Food Item kits as part of its initial response. Joint rapid needs’ assessments with partnering UN and government agencies began on 18 March, covering the Chimanimani, Chipinge, Mutare, Nyanga and Buhera districts.
Original source: IOM
Published on 22 March 2019