SA steps in to help flooded Moz
2007-02-26 15:40
Johannesburg - Two helicopters and water purification plants are scheduled to head for Mozambique this week to help with flood relief.
Department of provincial and local government spokesperson Luzuko Koti said negotiations were going on between government departments for further items that would contribute to the neighbourly aid effort.
These included a field hospital and water- and wind-resistant tents.
"Three helicopters were requested. We can provide a minimum of two," he said.
The aircraft would be able to offer Mozambique 170 hours' flying time.
Koti said one mobile and one static water purification plant would be available immediately.
Urban search-and-rescue teams also could be made available, he said.
Discussions about the field hospital were taking place with the health department and the defence force.
Claimed at least 29 lives
Last week, Cyclone Favio slammed into Mozambique's southern coast bringing winds with speeds of up to 200km/h that caused extensive damage to most buildings and basic infrastructure in Vilankulo, a town of 120 000 residents.
Roofs were torn off homes, the hospital, jail and a medicine depot, trees were uprooted and water and electricity supplies were severed.
Mozambique was already in the throes of serious flooding, which has claimed at least 29 lives in the central Zambezi River valley and prompted the evacuation of about 140 000 people, about 50 000 of whom are being accommodated in emergency shelters.
At the weekend, Mozambicans were closely watching the course of another tropical storm developing off the coast of Madagascar, according to reports.
- SAPA