More than 300,000 people have been forced from their homes by severe flooding in Mozambique’s Gaza province, the governor said Monday, after weeks of torrential rain left about 40% of the region underwater.
The scale of the disaster has prompted President Daniel Chapo to cancel his planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as central and southern parts of the country grapple with the unfolding emergency, the state-run daily Noticias reported.
Gaza Gov. Margarida Mapandzene Chongo said roughly 327,000 displaced residents are sheltering in dozens of temporary sites, including schools and churches, after fleeing or being evacuated from flooded and high-risk areas. Gaza province is home to about 1.4 million people.
Humanitarian organizations said earlier this month they feared around 200,000 people would be affected by extreme weather in Mozambique, but that figure appears to have been exceeded.
Inocencio Impissa, a Cabinet minister and government spokesperson, said nearly 600,000 people had been affected in Gaza and neighboring Maputo province.
