Working on the Zambezi

In February the river Zambezi in central Mozambique flooded displacing hundreds of thousands of people. The generosity of HoverAid supporters enabled us to act. Carl Ramsey, and Andy Mayo  travelled  to Zimbabwe and recovered River Rover 403.

After a hectic few days recomissioning the  craft, its trailer, support, and field equipment, a team of four moved to the flooded area. Working with Oxfam UK and Intermon  Spain, from their base in the town of Mutarara  at the bottom of the Shire Valley, we were able to provide access to the most difficult area the teams were trying to reach: the region of Jardim Sede.

With a shortage of tents, reed huts were used as shelters in the relief camps and these form a breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying cerebral malaria unless it’s controlled by spraying with Permethrin. The floods have caused significant damage to the local infrastructure, and it is of great  credit to the Mozambican authorities that so few people died as a result of the floods. However the maize harvest has been seriously affected and  with a drought in the south, the country faces a very tough year ahead.