Initial response plans were drafted; clarifications of numbers of people affected were sought; in communities, evacuations took place, and injured people received first aid. Shelter points were identified, such as the elevated school at Maniqinique, constructed with support of UN-Habitat through the Joint Programme on Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency preparedness.

Luckily, there were no casualties, and the red alert was lowered by the end of the day.

Why? Because this was merely a simulation exercise to prepare for the real thing, to ensure that communities, local authorities, international partners, government sectors and INGC are in a position to respond quickly in the eventuality of serious floods.

The exercise was based on the Government Contingency plan for 2010/2011 and for the first time, international partners, including UNDP and some other UN agencies, were involved as participants, and not just observers, as has been the case in previous years.  

As is usual with this type of exercise, areas for improvement were identified, which will help to strengthen response mechanisms. A group of invitees comprised of Mozambican ambassadors, provincial and district officials, and some international partners, noted the high level of preparedness in communities involved, and complimented INGC on their outstanding work in this area.

One of the successes of INGC work in recent years has been the training and equipping of Local Risk Management Committees, which UNDP and other UN agencies have also supported. The existence of these committees ensure that response capacity at community level is constantly improved, and annual simulation exercises serve to raise awareness among the community, and also to test their response capacity.

For the committees, once the red alert is lowered, it’s time to go to their fields to continue their day to day work. For the institutions and organizations involved, it’s an opportunity to examine the areas for improvement, and to work together to incorporate lessons learned, to mitigate the negative effects that a flood occurrence in Mozambique could have.

Actually, just before the Christmas it was informed in the local media that because of the discharges of the Cahora Bassa dam the lower Zambezi River has risen above flood alert level at Mutarara in Tete province, and Caia and Marromeu in Sofala Province. And the forecast tells that the river will continue rising. January and February are usually the months of highest rainfall in the region.

More about UNDP's Project called Strengthening Local Risk Management and Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) - our contribution for the UN Joint Programme in the field