| |
 |
Stranded Mozambicans refuse to evacuate
|
A South African military team on Saturday joined the relief effort in flood-swamped central Mozambique, but found few people willing to evacuate the shrinking islands in the Zambezi River.
"People were waving us away. They seem organized with their canoes and they seem just worried about getting their food. I don't think there will be many rescues," said Major Graham Chisholm.
The South African team had expected to begin the evacuation of some 5,000 people stranded on islands near where the Shire River flows into the Zambezi.
Those people are among the estimated 105,000 people the government wants to evacuate from low-lying regions of the Zambezi valley, where water levels have been rising all week.
With heavy rains continuing in neighboring countries, water continues to pour into the Zambezi and the country's largest dam has been unable to hold back the torrents of water pouring in.
The water level at the central town of Caia rose about 48 centimeters during the last week.
Although Caia is not expected to flood, farther downstream the government wants residents in the low-lying towns of Marromeu, Luabo and Mopeia to evacuate to higher ground.
Emergency management officials in Mozambique fear the floods will worsen, after technicians at a major dam upstream were forced one week ago to nearly double the amount of water they release to prevent the dam from overflowing.
So far, at least 62 people have died in the floods -- one year after Mozambique suffered devastating flooding that killed some 700 in the south of the country.
(SD-Agencies)
|
|
|
|
