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Add to Preferred SourcesUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working to dispatch emergency relief items – including tents, tarpaulins, solar lanterns, cooking utensils and other items – to help refugees who lost their homes parts of Zimbabwe devastated by Cyclone Idai.
The cyclone affected tens of thousands of people when it struck the eastern coast of Southern Africa during the night of 14–15 March, causing torrential rain and flooding in parts of Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.
The refugee agency is working with the governments of the affected countries and other humanitarian partners to assist those in need. These include refugees in Tongogara, Zimbabwe, and the communities hosting them.
More than 100 people are reported to have died due to the cyclone in Zimbabwe and the government has declared a state of disaster. In Chipinge district, where Tongogara camp is located, over 2,000 refugee houses, mostly built with mud bricks, were completely or partially damaged and over 600 latrines have collapsed.
UNHCR staff on the ground have conducted a rapid assessment to determine the extent of the damage and concluded that there is a danger of waterborne diseases as borehole water is feared to be contaminated by flood waters.
UNHCR staff on the ground have conducted a rapid assessment to determine the extent of the damage and concluded that there is a danger of waterborne diseases as borehole water is feared to be contaminated by flood waters.
“We have compiled emergency shelter and core relief items from our global stock which will be flown into the affected areas immediately,” explained Valentin Tapsoba, UNHCR’s Regional Director for Southern Africa.
The relief cargo will include items like family tents, plastic tarpaulins, sleeping mats, cooking sets and utensils, jerrycans, buckets, mosquito nets, solar lamps and soap.
UNHCR will continue to support the effort to respond to the urgent needs of the affected, including refugees and their host communities.
Original source: UNHCR
Published on 25 March 2019