Some 3,500 vulnerable flood-affected families living in the central
flood plains of the lower Zambezi and Save Rivers in Mozambique
will receive additional emergency shelter and non-food assistance
from IOM thanks to a USD 600,000 grant from the United Nations
Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

The southern African country has been badly affected by floods
for several weeks with heavy rains continuing to fall this week
across Mozambique with river levels above flood alert.

The assistance, which includes urgently needed plastic sheeting,
tarpaulins, building tools and materials and household kits, will
be distributed in coordination with local government authorities
through a network of well-established national and international
NGOs such as the Mozambican Red Cross, CARITAS Moçambicana,
German Agro Action and World Vision International.

The aid will primarily target vulnerable groups such as single
women and child-headed households as well as the elderly and the
sick that currently experience particularly precarious living
conditions in transitional camps.

According to the National Institute for Disaster Management,
more than 20,000 flood-affected households (approximately 100,000
people) have been evacuated from the flood plains to resettlement
areas or transitional camps, where access to shelter remains
scarce.

Recent field reports show that in some resettlement areas, up to
six families are forced to share the same tent because of a lack of
adequate shelter or shelter materials.  

IOM's assistance will supplement on-going shelter activities
currently carried out by the Mozambican Red Cross to help about
45,000 flood-affected people.

With heavy rain expected to continue falling over the coming
days, water levels are likely to rise again in the northern and
central regions of Mozambique, making access even more problematic
for aid agencies.

For more information, please call:

Nelly Chimedza

IOM Maputo

Tel +258 21 310 779

E-mail: "mailto:nchimedza@iom.int">nchimedza@iom.int