Vatican City, 17 January 2008 – Caritas fears that if downpours continue in southern Africa, hundreds of thousands of people could be affected in Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Caritas Confederation of Catholic aid agencies fears that the situation could deteriorate rapidly if the heavy rains persist. Caritas is visiting several areas along the Zambezi River Valley to assess both current areas of need and the risk of further flooding.

Downpours across southern African countries have seen swollen floodwaters rushing through central Mozambique, killing several people and leaving 70,000 homeless.

Up to 250,000 people in Mozambique remain vulnerable, with more rainfall expected and the lower Zambezi Valley being flooded by water from the Cahora Bassa dam.

The government of Mozambique is raising concerns that the flooding could match or be worse than in 2000-01, which left 700 people dead and over half a million homeless.

Caritas Mozambique and partners including Caritas Ireland (Trocaire) and Caritas England and Wales (CAFOD) are currently working on a three-year disaster risk reduction programme helping over 30,000 people in the Zambezi River Valley.

Caritas International Emergency Coordinator Dolores Bachmann said, “Hopefully the Caritas programme will alleviate the scale of this and any future disasters in Mozambique.

"However we are monitoring the situation closely and if we see flood waters rise to levels equal to or higher than in 2000-01, we will have to re-evaluate our humanitarian response. We’re still waiting for assessments to come in but obviously we’re very concerned at this situation so early in the rainy season.”

The US$3.6 million (€2.4 million) appeal was launched last year following a previous bout of intensive rains and flooding that saw over 285,000 people living in makeshift camps or accommodation centres.

The Caritas programme includes preparing people better to cope with disaster, building shelter on higher ground, agriculture, and health care.

Subsequent work in Tete, Chimoio, Beira, and Quelimane includes rebuilding houses, schools and health posts, training people in management of bore holes and hand pumps to ensure access to clean water, and recruiting agriculture experts to help and advise households in farming methods best suited to the areas where they live.

Meanwhile, floods have also damaged Zimbabwe's livestock and crops, in a country where there are already critical food shortages.