“Mozambique is one of the countries most affected by climate change, despite bearing no responsibility for the crisis. When a catastrophe like this occurs, it is essential that Norway helps wherever it can,” said Norway’s Minister of Development, Åsmund Aukrust, quoted in the Embassy’s statement. According to the same information, the funds will be channelled to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mozambique, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The funds are intended to ensure “safe shelter, access to drinking water, sanitation, search and rescue operations, and direct financial assistance”, the statement further explains. It adds that this contribution comes on top of the US$5 million mobilised by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), “of which Norway is one of the largest global donors”. “Norway reaffirms its commitment to solidarity and cooperation to respond to urgent needs and help communities recover,” the statement concludes.
Floods in Mozambique have already affected 651,843 people since 7 January, with 12 deaths and 95,870 citizens housed in accommodation centres, according to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD). According to the INGD database, accessed by Lusa, with data updated to 13:30 (local time) on Saturday, the floods recorded in various parts of the country have affected the equivalent of 141,251 families, with 3,396 houses partially destroyed, 767 completely destroyed, and 71,600 flooded. Compared with the previous assessment on Friday, the number of affected people increased by more than 10,000, mainly in the provinces of Maputo and Gaza.
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INGD data also report 45 injured and four missing persons as a result of the floods over approximately 15 days, at a time when hundreds of families remain trapped, awaiting rescue, particularly in southern Mozambique. Since the beginning of the rainy season in October, including the floods of the past two weeks, 131 people have died in Mozambique, in addition to 144 injured, and 779,506 people have been affected, according to INGD data. Up to 16 January, the Government reported a total of 103 deaths and 173,000 people affected since the start of the rainy season in Mozambique (which runs from October to April), subsequently declaring a national red alert.
According to Sunday’s data, there are currently 94 accommodation centres in operation — three more in 24 hours — housing 95,870 people, including 19,516 who had to be rescued. The latest update also records that, since 7 January, 229 health facilities and 364 schools, three bridges, and 1,336 kilometres of road have been affected.
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