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Mozambique and the Great Flood of
2000 by Frances Christie and Joseph
Hanlon, published by the International
African Institute in association with
James Currey (Oxford) and Indiana
University Press (Bloomington), 2001.
Mozambique has in recent years
been regarded as one of the
great comeback stories of
southern Africa. On the back of its buoyant
economy, it successfully recovered
from the prolonged civil war, and now
has a stable government and increased
growth.
But disaster struck in the early
months of 2000. Devastating floods
struck the country between January and
March, claiming more than 1,000 lives and
leaving some 500,000 people homeless.
In their recent book, Mozambique
and the Great Flood of 2000, Frances
Christie and Joseph Hanlon, both long-time
chroniclers of Mozambique recall the
horror that befell the southern African
country.
The book narrates how heavy rains
and flooding were predicted from September
1999 and how the Mozambique
Red Cross ran retraining programmes for
its volunteers. The National Disaster
Management Institute (INGC) ran publicity
campaigns and was in contact with
the South African Air force about rescue
needs. Despite this dialogue, no one was
fully prepared for the magnitude of the
floods. |
The local Mozambican relief agencies handled all the initial flood problems
with their staff and volunteers and created the basis for the regional and inter-national
aid agencies which later flew in.
Local preparation, regional support
and international solidarity prevented
the Mozambique floods from becoming
a catastrophe. Forty-five thousand people were rescued; there were no major
outbreaks of disease and no serious
malnutrition in the accommodation centres.
The interesting well-written book
emphasizes how the integration of foreign
aid workers into the government-coordinated
system proved essential and
effective.
The international response was media-
driven, often larger than needed,
causing confusion. Order was quickly
restored and there were massive and
well-coordinated efforts to feed and accommodate
the displaced. The UN organized
huge material aid and worked in
collaboration with INGC.
The authors assert that by the time
that international aid arrived, local communities
had provided initial support in
the form of schools, churches which
provided shelter and local government
coordination. Accommodation centres
served as focal points for assistance.
The little-known contribution of the
Mozambique navy, the Red Cross and
countless fishing and small boat owners
saved more people than the more
dramatic helicopters.
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The world-famous picture of baby
Rosita and her mother being rescued
from a tree by a South African helicopter became an icon of the Mozambican
floods and provoked an outpouring of
international support. The flood led
electronic and print news for days and
it was the impact of pictures on viewers
that led to aid pouring into Mozambique.
The book outlines problems en-countered
in administering donor
funds, and how some donors preferred
channeling their funds through familiar
ministries and organizations rather than
pooling their money.
Thousands of displaced people had
to be resettled and reconstruction was
essential but the influence of donors
too often led to funds being directed to
their special areas of interest and not
necessarily the most deserving cases.
The authors recommend that Mozambique
should have mechanisms to
handle such catastrophes because in
future it might not get such massive international
assistance.
Christie, a journalist, has lived in
Mozambique since 1975 while Hanlon,
a UK-based economist, is an author of
10 other books, four on Mozambique.
Pascoal Mocumbi, Prime Minister of
Mozambique, and Emmanuel Dierckx de
Casterlé, UN Resident Coordinator
wrote the Prefaces.
(Review by Chipo Muvezwa,
SARDC) |
