MOZAMBIQUE: STORMS HIT CITY OF BEIRA

(14 Mar 2000) English/Nat

The Northern Mozambique city of Beira was struck by thunderstorms and rain throughout Monday.

The weather conditions hindered the distribution of food aid which is urgently needed in the region after the devastating floods of recent weeks.

Off the coast of Beira, Mozambique, the H-M-S Fort George is a launching pad for aircraft with aid supplies which are desperately needed in Beira.

The city has already borne severe hardship because its remoteness meant aid flights could not reach it until several weeks after the relief operations began.

Monday's storms created fresh problems for aid workers because it led to helicopters being grounded.

Later on Monday the weather cleared enough to allow some flights to take place.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"There's a problem here at the airport with fuel distribution in that we can't get it to the helicopters quick enough so that means we can send the helos (helicopters) out to Fort George itself and they can fuel up from there."
SUPER CAPTION: Lieutenant Commander Tony Crump, British Royal Navy

However, because of the fresh dampness on the ground and in the air only nonfood items could be delivered.

Any food delivered in these conditions simply rots away, further increasing the risk of disease and wasting precious resources.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Yes, today it was a specific problem because it keeps on raining here so it's difficult to concentrate only on the food to be delivered. Why is that? The food comes into the areas and then it's too wet."
SUPER CAPTION: Ton Van Zutphen, African manager for World Vision

The cumulonimbus-type storm clouds carry a high static charge which rendered communications equipment useless for more than five hours.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We had a lot of severe rain and cloud storms that affected our communications. It took out about 90 percent of our communications."
SUPER CAPTION: Senior Master Sergeant, Linda Ferrell, U-S Airforce

Now there are fresh reports of yet more trouble on the horizon from further north.

Workers in the region say the Zambezi River will flood any day now, bringing fresh havoc to the area.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/6a2fb980c85cd135dc1ff6e6e6f655d9