Floods in Mozambique

January 11, 2008, Flooding in Mozambique by David (Mo) Morrison, Malawi
Dear Friends,
The challenges before us each day are always great – we keep looking to the Lord who faithfully carries us through – we give praise and glory to Jesus. Some days are really hard as it seems as though we only move from struggle to struggle. Humor helps to bring us a little relief. We have a saying among us here, "We don’t have problems in Malawi, only disasters!"
Once again, impending flooding is upon us but more seriously to our neighboring country of Mozambique. This disaster has caught us all off guard. We knew it was possible but didn’t realize the severity of it so early in the rainy season. The media is just starting to report about it. I suppose delayed because of many other troubling headlines from around the world. The number of households affected by the floods has risen, with widespread destruction of homes and livestock, displacement of families and outbreaks of disease.
We made contact with one of our Iris pastors in the area of Mutarara, Mozambique (120 km south of us). He has confirmed about the destructive flood waters. Right now, people are fleeing to refugee camps and re-settlement areas from their submerged homes. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that 5,000 people in Mutarara are trapped by the flood waters and are being rescued by boats and helicopter right now. The situation is sure to get worse as rains persist. World Vision field staff stationed in Mutarara confirm that the Zambezi River has been rising rapidly. The number of displaced people is growing as small islands scattered across the district become inundated. There are still 50,000 people being assisted in this area who were affected by last year’s flooding. Thousands of acres of potentially good crop harvest have been lost. In Malawi, up to 1,400 households have lost homes and livestock. Many people living on Nchalo and Ngabu islands have been affected. In Mozambique, up to 55,000 people have been affected by the flooding of the main river basins in the central region, according to authorities. The country is on red alert, the highest level of emergency warning.
Serious floods occur annually in January and February. The current adverse weather conditions are largely a result of the La Nina effect, and flooding could become very serious in Southern Africa during the latter part of the rainy season of mid-January to March.We don’t know what the Lord will have us do but we’re getting prepared. We can’t just sit idle. There are too many suffering. I’m trying to get my visa processed for Mozambique so that I can travel there and make a personal assessment as soon as possible.Please pray that the Lord will reveal His purposes for us, and His provisions for those affected. We are willing to do whatever He calls us to do. Pray too for the supernatural. Nothing is impossible for God! Believe with us in prayer that the destructive rains would stop and the flood waters will quickly recede.Thanks for your prayers. With love, Mo.