So far, nearly a million people have lost their homes in this impoverished African nation. Though the official death count is less than 300, aid workers fear it will climb well into the thousands as floodwaters recede. And with food scarce and livestock rotting in the water, the tragedy can only get worse as hunger and disease begin to spread. According to the Christian aid group World Vision, a tiny local hospital near the capital of Maputo has been treating nearly 350 people a day, 90 percent of whom are suffering from malaria. “More people could die after the flooding than from the flooding itself,” says World Vision communications manager Steve Matthews, who traveled to Maputo.
By late last week, horrifying images of survivors clinging to debris or clustered on muddy rooftops spurred Western governments into action. The United States pledged $12.8 million in disaster relief and military aid, including six cargo helicopters, six transport planes and a crack team from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department that has rescued earthquake victims in Mexico City, Taiwan and Turkey. Britain promised two transport planes and seven helicopters, as well as inflatable boats with crews.
What took so long? To be sure, the situation deteriorated gradually, catching many officials off guard. Neighboring Zimbabwe’s fleet of helicopters is tied up fighting in the Congo. And Mozambique is not easily accessible to Western emergency-relief teams, because there are no nearby American or European military bases. A British source said that peacekeeping operations in Kosovo have thinned the West’s military resources as well.
Aid workers railed against Western governments for their slow and tepid response. Some environmental activists accused South Africa of causing the flooding by straightening rivers and destroying grasslands upstream that used to sop up excess rainwater. But even amid the devastation and finger-pointing, small miracles blossomed. In the town of Chokue, north of the capital, Maputo, a helicopter lowered a medic into a tree to help a pregnant woman, Sophia Pedro, who delivered a baby girl named Rositha. Then both were flown to safety.
