By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN teams on Monday began aid distribution in Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique after the deadly storm made landfall there.
Cyclone Chido made landfall in the French island territory of Mayotte at the weekend, leaving an unknown number of dead and destruction on a massive scale,
Over 2 million people are at risk in Mozambique, including 627,000 identified as being at “high risk”.
WFP said that voluntary evacuation plans began to be circulated on 8 December, reached over 400,000 people.
The agency reported in 24 hours, emergency food assistance reached around 500 cyclone-affected families in temporary accommodation centres in Pemba district alone.
Humanitarians have been on high alert since the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte experienced its worst cyclone in a century on Saturday.
Media reports showed trees uprooted and houses smashed, while communities faced power cuts and fears over a lack of drinking water.
UN is working closely with the Government in Mozambique to assess the damage and humanitarian impact.
UNICEF and partners are providing water and sanitation supplies to mitigate disease risks as the region is already grappling with a cholera outbreak.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric in New York said that preliminary figures indicate that 140,000 people have been impacted across Cabo Delgado Province, where more than one million people are already in need of assistance due to the ongoing conflict.
“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the most impacted districts – including Mecufi and Metuge – people urgently need shelter, they need water, they need sanitation, hygiene, health and protection assistance,” he added.
Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, allocated $4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support early response efforts, Mr. Dujarric noted.
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