UN makes plea for financial aid to help victims of Mozambique cyclone

Following the unprecedented flooding that was triggered by Cyclone Idai in central Mozambique, The United Nations (UN) has made an emergency appeal for $282 million for the next three months to start the recovery process from the devastation.

According to the Miami Herald, funding will be used to provide water, sanitation, education and restoring the livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of displaced people, U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said Monday.

While death tolls have been speculated to be in the thousands, barely any bodies have recovered, the report states.

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“It will be heartbreaking once we know the full extent,” said Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, who is directing the U.N.’s response. “Most of the bodies were likely swept out to sea and may or may not ever wash ashore.”

Separate appeals for financial support will be made soon for Zimbabwe and Malawi, which were also hard-hit by the cyclone, the report states.

UNICEF head Henrietta Fore has noted that “it’s a race against time” to help the displaced and prevent an outbreak of disease, such as the deadly cholera.

The number of dead reported in Mozambique has reportedly risen to 446 while there are 259 dead in Zimbabwe and at least 56 dead in Malawi.

But Mozambique’s environment minister, Celso Correia, said the death toll is “very preliminary” and is also expected to rise.

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The U.S. military is set to aid in the international effort to assist with providing food and medical care to those affected, reported to be one of the worst natural disasters in southern Africa in recent history.

Over 200,000 are said to be displaced and now living in flooded out camps across Mozambique, said Correia. Diarrhea is reported in camps so he is certain that Cholra will emerge.

“It’s a killer,” he noted.

Aid teams are searching high points on islands created by the massive cyclone and finding “a lot of people,” Correia said.