The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has delivered food staples to people fleeing the extensive flood waters in central Mozambique.

“ADRA has been on the ground since the flooding started because we have extensive development programs in the area of Maganja da Costa,” says Dr. Curtis Hesse, country director of ADRA Mozambique. As soon as the government started evacuating people, we re-assigned our staff and trucks to distribute food.”

The current flooding, which began mid-February, has forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 people, affected the food supplies and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, and killed at least 40 people. As the rains continue to fall across Mozambique and adjoining nations, rivers threaten to spread further across water-logged land. On their way to the ocean, major rivers move through Mozambique from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania. From the air near Maputo, flooding is clearly visible extending to the north.

“This flooding has destroyed thousands of acres of crops that were nearly ready for harvest,” says Hesse. “The people have lost all the food they would normally eat and the surplus crops that they would sell for cash.”

ADRA Mozambique was established in 1987 in response to the humanitarian crises resulting from the protracted civil war and recurring drought. Ongoing projects include cashew nut tree nurseries, clean water wells, and sanitation education.

For more information, visit ADRA’s web site at www.adra.org