At least 1,000 people are feared dead and tens of thousands more lose homes in wake of Cyclone Idai.
By Naama Barak, ISRAEL21c
Israeli humanitarian NGO IsraAID is dispatching an emergency response team to Mozambique, after it was hit by the devastating Cyclone Idai, thought to be the worst ever disaster to strike the southern hemisphere, according to the United Nations.
The cyclone, which swept through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in southeastern Africa, destroyed everything in its path, leaving homes, crops and infrastructure in ruins, and fears that over 1,000 people will have died in the tragedy.
More than 2.6 million people across the three countries are thought to be affected by the powerful storm. Mozambique’s port city of Beira, the country’s fourth largest, took a direct hit from the cyclone leaving it 90 percent destroyed and almost completely cut off by storm surges of 18 feet.
IsraAID is set to distribute relief supplies, deliver psychological first aid and restore access to safe drinking water to affected communities in Mozambique. It will also assess the need for further aid.
“Many people are in desperate situations, several thousands are fighting for their lives at the moment sitting on rooftops, in trees and other elevated areas,” said UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac. “This includes families and obviously many children.”
In 2018, IsraAID emergency response teams reached 26,300 people worldwide, providing them with safe drinking water, psychological and community support and relief following natural disasters.
The last two years saw the organization responding to multiple disasters, such as Hurricanes Florence, Michael and Harvey and the northern California wildfires in the United States. Its teams are still operating in Guatemala Mexico, Dominica and Puerto Rico following the natural disasters that struck there.
Donations to support IsraAID’s disaster relief efforts in Mozambique can be made through the IsraAID Emergency Response Fund.
Do You Love Israel? Show Your Support!
Donate to vital charities that protect Israelis and help educate and inspire millions around the world to support Israel too!
Now more than ever, Israel needs your help to fight the battle of public opinion. Israel’s enemies are using social media to incite brutal terror against innocent civilians. Please help us fight back!
Source: United with Israel
