NEARLY A MILLION SOUTHERN AFRICANS HIT BY FLOODS, CYCLONES THIS SEASON - UN

NEARLY A MILLION SOUTHERN AFRICANS HIT BY FLOODS, CYCLONES THIS SEASON – UN New York, Mar 24 2008 5:00PM Almost a million people across Southern Africa have suffered as a result of floods, cyclones and heavy rains so far during the annual wet season, and although the worst of the weather is over for another year, problems could persist until the end of April, United Nations relief officials report.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/News/tabid/1080/Default.aspx">OCHA) said in its latest update on the situation in Southern Africa that further heavy rains are still expected, including in central Mozambique, where the rivers are already swollen after two days of intense rainfall last week.

In recent weeks heavy rains have also hit southern Angola, Namibia and the eastern part of South Africa, OCHA reported. But Cyclone Jokwe, which struck the Mozambican province of Nampula earlier this month, has since dissipated without causing further damage to either Mozambique or Madagascar.

In total, local authorities estimate that 987,516 Southern Africans have been affected adversely by rains, floods and cyclones since October last year. The hardest hit is Madagascar, where several cyclones as well as rains and floods have affected more than 332,000 people. Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe have also been affected.
2008-03-24 00:00:00.000

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