Pope Francis expressed his grief and closeness to the victims of massive flooding in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, during his general audience in Rome on Wednesday.
As Francis spoke, hundreds of thousands of people were still stranded on rooftops in parts of the district of Beira, Mozambique, left completely cut off by floods caused by Cyclone Idai, which hit the region.
“Over the past days large floods have spread mourning and devastation in several areas of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. I would like to express my grief and closeness to the affected populations. I entrust the victims and their families to the mercy of God and call on comfort and support for those who have been hit by this calamity”, said Pope Francis.
Catholic organisations such as Caritas, which already had an extensive network on the ground, have activated emergency funds to aid survivors and help with rescue work and many countries have offered aid.
Mozambique is a former Portuguese colony and Caritas and Red Cross Portugal were also coordinating funds and calling on the population to donate food and other essential goods to be transported to the East African state.
The bishop of Beira, Cláudio Dalla Zuanna, said that there is no memory of a disaster of this sort in the region and described the destruction in a message. “Houses, schools, hospitals and churches lost their roofs and in some cases walls collapsed. Several trees fell on buildings, roads and vehicles, making transport difficult. The electrical and telephone networks were damaged and have not yet been restored. There is no potable water and food is running out, since a good deal of the supplies we had were destroyed by the rain, or due to lack of electricity”, he said, days after the worst of the wind and rain had struck.
“We have activated an emergency plan, through the parishes and Caritas, to meet the more urgent needs”, he added.
The archbishop of the capital, Maputo, who was born in Buzi, one of the towns which was most badly hit, spoke to Portuguese Catholic media group Renascença of his anguish and sadness at not being able to reach friends and family, but he complemented friendly countries and NGOs for their solidarity.
“Caritas has already sent out a request for help, and the response has been positive. Other countries have also contributed, including Portugal, Britain and France. There is plenty of solidarity, and it is consoling to know that we are not alone in our suffering”, said archbishop Francisco Chimoio.
According to UNICEF, around 1.6 million people live in the regions most affected by the cyclone. The death toll is expected to reach several thousand people in the three countries.