Those who remember TPSS MS alumnus Antonio Rocha (2017), or who are simply appalled by the damage in Mozambique following tropical cyclone Idai, will be glad to know there’s something you can do to help. Jeffrey Abe (TPSS) is receiving cash donations at his office at St. John 102 until April 20; these will be matched dollar for dollar and forwarded to Antonio, who is working now in Mozambique with international aid agencies to prepare to replant food crops and attempt to avert a food security disaster.
Idai struck near Beira, Mozambique, in a part of the country that had received rainfall far above average even before the cyclone and was already flooded. It hit just before harvest time, damaging or destroying an estimated 452,794 hectares of cropland and the crops that were about to be harvested. Beira had no electricity, water, or road access for nearly a week, and an estimated 90% of the housing structures were damaged or destroyed, displacing some 86,030 families. People and homes were swept away, some out to sea. Thousands of children are now orphans. The death toll has exceeded 500 and is estimated to surpass 1,000—the disaster is still unfolding and will likely get worse as water-borne diseases such as cholera spread.
USAID has allocated some $40 million for assistance in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, which were also affected by the storm, and every bit more helps, whether it’s monetary donations or messages of support to Antonio. He says he has “no words to thank [the people at UH] for their affection and sympathy.” Keep it up!