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Jasmyn
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DISASTER ADVICE FROM MOZAMBIQUE ?
« on: Sep 9th, 2005, 3:05am » |
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AIM NEWS CAST, THURSDAY 8/9/2005
16905E SHOULD THE USA SEEK DISASTER ADVICE FROM MOZAMBIQUE ?
By Joseph Hanlon
Maputo, 8 Sept (AIM) – The shocking images of flood-ravaged New Orleans may recall for many Mozambicans their own experiences in February 2000, when every major river south of Beira burst its banks, and vast areas of southern Mozambique were under water.
But although Mozambique remains one of the poorest countries in the world, while the United States is the richest, the Mozambican flood crisis was handled efficiently, quite unlike the chaos that overtook New Orleans. In the following article, London based writer Joseph Hanlon, co-author of a book on the floods of 2000, suggests that in the area of disaster response the United States has much to learn from Mozambique.
Mozambique should offer aid to the United States on how to deal with floods. In 2000, southern Mozambique had its worst flood in 150 years – similar to the seriousness of Hurricane Katrina in the United States. In Mozambique five years ago, 550,000 people were displaced, of whom 45,000 had been rescued by boats and helicopters; 700 people died.
But organisation in “underdeveloped” Mozambique was much better than in New Orleans, with less loss of life. Three things made the difference: training and planning, community solidarity, and a willingness to ask for help quickly.
Mozambique is subject to severe cyclones, just as the southern US normally faces severe hurricanes. In 1999, after much less severe floods, Mozambique launched a major training exercise involving simulations of rescue and relief operations. Training included volunteer organisations such as the Mozambique Flying Club, an association of private pilots. Relief goods were stockpiled in areas at risk, including hundreds of tons of food and medicines. The Red Cross gave extra training to its volunteers and created stocks of tents and plastic sheeting. District, provincial and national flood committees were created.
Although floods were predicted, no one expected the scale of the flooding that occurred, which resulted from three successive major cyclones. The water just kept rising.
As with Katrina, Mozambique had some warning from the weather forecasters, and two days before the floods the government activated its flood committee, chaired by then Foreign Minister Leonardo Simao. He and his committee were already prepared, and could move quickly.
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Jazz 
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Jasmyn
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Re: DISASTER ADVICE FROM MOZAMBIQUE ?
« Reply #1 on: Sep 9th, 2005, 3:06am » |
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More areas were evacuated. But the key to the evacuation in Mozambique, which made it so different from New Orleans, were that most people were evacuated in groups by local leaders. Tent cities were created on high ground, but with people from particular neighbourhoods all living together. Chokwe, in Gaza province, was the largest city to be totally evacuated, and the city administration moved as a group and continued to administer the new tent city. Health workers, the Red Cross and local administrations moved to care for those fleeing high water.
The contrast with New Orleans is obvious. Officials in the American city seem to have ignored community leaders and made no effort to include them in evacuation planning, at least in the poorest areas.
Of course, not everyone fled the flood-stricken areas of southern Mozambique quickly enough; 45,000 people were saved by boats. The Mozambican military rescued 18,000 people with small boats; the Red Cross, the fire service, and private boat owners and fishing people rescued another 12,000.
Trained local volunteers moved quickly. For example the Mozambique Flying Club established a stretch of road on the edge of the flood as a landing strip, and began flying supplies to isolated areas. This improvised airstrip was used for 3,000 flights. This is in stark contrast to the TV pictures of highways in New Orleans which could easily have been used by small planes but which were not.
Thousands of Mozambicans volunteered to help, and they were put to work – through the Red Cross, setting up emergency feeding, or just helping to unload lorries.
But the third key factor was Mozambique’s use of outside help. Even before the floods, Mozambique had made plans with the South African air force and with United Nations agencies such as Unicef. Daily contact was maintained with the South Africans, which set up a special budget to pay for possible aid, so the helicopters were flying in within one day of the worst flooding; in all, they rescued 14,000 people. Even while the flood waters were still rising, prior agreements with United Nations agencies were activated, so there was immediate help with food, and most importantly, water purification and sanitation.
As the international press arrived to broadcast the disaster, Mozambique made clear that outside help was welcome. Agencies like Oxfam and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF – Doctors without Borders) who have experience of working in natural disasters, moved quickly and were helping displaced people within days.
But the outsiders quickly found when they arrived that there was an organisation on the ground. When Oxfam arrived with its water purification systems, local officials told Oxfam where they were most needed. Local officials planned food distribution. Volunteer health workers joined in Of course there were mistakes and confusion. And some bad things happened. There was looting – although not very much. And there was a serious problem of donations of useless and out of date medicines. But the priority was to get people to safety and provide them with shelter, food, clean water and latrines.
No one predicted the worse flood in 150 years. But in Mozambique, planning, local organisation and community solidarity, and a willingness to ask for help, saved thousands of lives. Should Mozambique offer aid to the United States in flood management?
(Joseph Hanlon is the co-author, with Frances Christie, of “Mozambique and the Great Flood of 2000”, published by James Currey (Oxford) in 2001)
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