West Midlands firefighters lending a hand in Mozambique flood relief effort ahead of cyclone season
A team of West Midlands firefighters have arrived in Mozambique to assist the international flood rescue response following extreme rainfall in southern Africa.
Among those deployed with the UK’s International Search and Rescue (UK ISAR) team are four West Midlands Fire Service technical rescue firefighters to help deal with the flood disaster. Sharing skills are Watch Commander Ryan Weir and Firefighter Jason Plant based at Sutton Coldfield Fire Station, and Watch Commander Shaun Crone and Firefighter Kate Murphy based at Bickenhill Fire Station.
The brigade is also is acting as the UK ‘incident room’ for the trip which provides a vital link between those deployed, their families and their home fire and rescue services, and other national agencies. Those staffing the room will include other service volunteer members of UK ISAR, drawn from across the service.
Simon Tuhill, Chief Fire Officer of West Midlands Fire Service, said: “The situation in Mozambique and parts of South Africa is devastating for the many communities affected. I could not be prouder of UK ISAR and our own staff who volunteer to be part of it.
"They train so hard and step up at a moment’s notice when events such as this demand it.”
Following Mozambique’s declaration of a national emergency and request for international assistance the UK sent ISAR accompanied by a medical team to the country.
An initial forward party of seven flood rescue specialists was deployed on January 20 to assess conditions on the ground and coordinate with local authorities and humanitarian partners. This was followed three days later by the arrival of a further 29 personnel from UK fire and rescue services, along with four boats, to support rescue and response efforts led by the Mozambican government.
The teams started operations in Maputo province and in Xai-Xai, north of the flood area including efforts to rescue people trapped by flood water.
Weeks of heavy rainfall and flooding in Mozambique have caused widespread damage to infrastructure and multiple media reports suggest that the death toll has now exceeded 100. It is estimated that up to 700,000 people have been affected, with some reports estimating that over half of those affected are children, with many hundreds of people trapped by rising water levels.
The floods have caused major damage to health facilities and more than 3,000 miles of roads damaged across nine provinces.
National Fire Chiefs Council chairman Phil Garrigan, said: “Around the world, communities are increasingly experiencing the impacts of climate change and more frequent and severe extreme weather events, which place enormous pressure on local response and rescue capabilities."
Parts of northern South Africa and neighbouring Mozambique and Zimbabwe have suffered heavy rain since late last year which resulted in more than 100 deaths, the closure of the Kruger National Park and the evacuation of hundreds of tourists.
In October parts of Jamaica and and Cuba were devastated by super storm Hurricane Melissa. Experts report it will take a decade for the affected areas to recover.
