In the wake of Cyclone Idai hitting the Mozambique coast, three Indian Navy ships have already reached Port Beira carrying relief material to provide humanitarian assistance to the disaster-affected areas. Sarathi, Sujata and Shardul- the first training squadron of the Indian Navy operate in the Southern Indian Ocean. They were diverted to Port Beira after receiving a request of assistance from the government of Mozambique.
Cyclone Idai made its devastating entry at Beira, Mozambique, in the early hours of March 15 and now 3,000 square km (1,864 square miles) is under water. As per sources, cyclone victims are stranded, clinging to roofs or stuck in trees. In Beira, there are only two to three days of clean water left for drinking. About 300 people are confirmed dead in Zimbabwe and Mozambique but the toll might rise. Idai hit Beira last Thursday, with wind speed of more than 177km/h (106 mph). The devastation increased once it moved further inland. Medical agencies have warned that there would be a severe shortage of food and clean drinking water and because people are resorting to untreated well water, there is an increasing threat of water borne diseases. “The first thing you see when you arrive is destruction and a lot of water,” said Get Verdonck, an emergency co-ordinator with the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
It is at this time of dire emergency, the Indian fleet have arrived and set up medical camps for providing clean water, food and other relief items required by the local people. The Defence Minister of Mozambique have visited the Indian naval ships to oversee their relief efforts. The situation is also being closely monitored and the Indian Navy is ready to render all the necessary support to the local population in Mozambique, at this time of emergency.
