Mozambique’s road and rail transport systems have been hit by heavy flooding, affecting logistics for both aid organisations and business. Authorities are now maintaining a state of “red alert” in the country, due to heavy rains over more than a week destroying roads and bridges. General director of the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC), Joao Ribeiro, told Xinhua in Maputo that the situation was getting worse in the central and northern regions. More than 120 000 people have been hit by the latest spate of flooding, which is expected to continue for some time as meteorologists are predicting more heavy downpours during the rainy season. The central provinces were hit by winds of up to 170km/hr and flooding that destroyed 247 000 hectares of crops, according to reports. In addition to delays of goods travelling through the ports caused by the land-side damage, the country’s economy will be affected by the floods, which will affect the production of cashew nuts and other crops. According to Mozambique Food Security Outlook for 2013 by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS), villagers in a number of southern provinces are already facing food shortages ahead of the March harvests.
