Helicopter rescues under way for Mozambicans stranded on rooftops

Rescuers in cyclone-hit Mozambique are desperatelytrying to save people stranded on small islands created by floodwaters, the World Food Programme said on Wednesday, warning thatcontinuing rains are making the situation worse. "The rain has continued, the flooding has continued, the rivers haveburst their banks and they've basically created inland islands,"Gerald Bourke, WFP southern Africa communications officer, told dpafrom the devastated city of Beira.About 170 people had already been rescued from such islands onTuesday and the efforts were continuing, he said."A major part of the aid effort at the minute is to rescue them fromthe roofs of houses. There are South African helicopters flying tothose areas, bringing them back to Beira airport for medicalattention," he added.Cyclone Idai, a Category 4 storm, could be one of the biggest cyclonedisasters south of the equator, according to the World MeteorologicalOrganization (WMO), and has brought devastation to several countriesin the region. Mozambique's president, Filipe Nyusi, has said there may be as manyas 1,000 fatalities in the southern African nation and has declared astate of emergency.The Council of Ministers said in a statement that the "governmentwill mobilize as many resources as possible to respond to thecrisis," and has also officially appealed for international help.Mozambique started three days of national mourning on Wednesday, withflags flying at half-mast, after Nyusi said an estimated 350,000people had been affected by the storm.Some 202 bodies have been recovered, according to the council ofministers.Meanwhile, Renamo, the main opposition party in Mozambique, slammedthe government's response to the crisis at a press conference, sayingthe morgue in the biggest hospital in Beira was full and couldn'ttake more corpses.  The cyclone made landfall in Mozambique late on Thursday afterbrewing in the Indian Ocean, bringing winds of up to 180 kilometresper hour before weakening slightly and heading towards Zimbabwe.Idai created a storm tide of 3.5 to 4 metres that swept Mozambique'scoastal city of Beira, WMO spokeswoman Clare Naden said in Geneva.In Malawi, more than 900,000 people were affected, with 56 deaths and577 injuries recorded, according to the UN. Almost 83,000 people areestimated to be displaced.In neighbouring Zimbabwe, the storm caused strong winds and heavyrains, causing flash flooding, which killed more than 100 people.Over 200 others in Zimbabwe are still reported missing, according tothe UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),and helicopter rescue operations are under way."The police sub-aqua unit has been deployed. Military personnel areproceeding by foot towards where roads have been destroyed" inZimbabwe, OCHA added.Chimanimani and Chipinge remain the hardest-hit districts inZimbabwe, with access still problematic, and "crops and livestockhave been destroyed in both districts, which were already facingcrisis levels of food insecurity.""There are also growing concerns regarding the potential effects ofthe overflow of the Marowanyati Dam in Zimbabwe on water levels inMozambique," the organization said.Many areas of Mozambique remained without power and water onWednesday, but after days without, telecommunications have beenrestored in Beira, according to Tmcel, the state telecoms company.The WFP and Red Cross are concerned about water-borne diseases likecholera and typhoid.A Red Cross spokeswoman, Hanne Roden, told dpa there are currently 38accommodation centres in Beira for displaced people, with othersbeing housed in schools and churches, but mainly tents. The European Union has pledged almost 4 million dollars in emergencyrelief to the countries affected, while the UN Emergency Fundallocated 20 million dollars."These are desperate times," said the WFP's Bourke, adding that morerain is forecast."There are other rivers swelling up, the reservoirs of the dams arefilling up very fast."In St Peter's Square in the Vatican City, Pope Francis prayed for theflood victims during his weekly audience."Over the past days, serious floods have sowed death and devastationin several regions of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. I express mypain and solidarity for the beloved people [of these countries]," hesaid."I entrust the many victims and their families to the mercy of Godand I beg for the comfort and support for those affected by thiscalamity."