The Mozambican Government and the International Community had learned the lessons from the 1999-2000 floods experience and tried to ensure a rapid reaction and a well-coordinated response for the announced emergency for the 2000-2001 rainy season.

Disaster Preparedness and Contingency Planning

Preparations for the 2000/2001 rainy seasons began with a seminar to draw lessons from the flood relief operations in the centre and south of the country in 2000. Soon after, the Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF) issued its forecast in September 2000 of higher than normal rainfall, particularly in the central region of Mozambique. The first step was to draft possible scenarios as the basis for a contingency plan, after which working groups were set up to deal with specific sectors, both within the government structures and the UN system. The preparation of contingency plans was coordinated among the UN system, the INGC and the Mozambique Red Cross.

The Government-led working groups covered the following sectors:

• Coordination.
• Alert and early warning.
• Organisation and public awareness.
• Training and response.
• Transport, logistics and communications.
• Agriculture.
• Health.
• Education.
• Shelter, sanitation and water.

UN working groups coordinated the following emergency preparedness and response clusters:

• Logistics and communications.
• Data & information, assessment and monitoring.
• Food security.
• Water, sanitation, hygiene, health and nutrition.
• Shelter.
• Education.
• Community awareness and training.
• Public relations and media.

A multi-sector task force visited provinces to update information about areas at risk and the resources available for emergency response.

The Government contingency plan prepared and coordinated by the INGC, contained detailed requirements by sector and by province, including the budgets to meet these requirements. The UN contingency plan outlined the specific responsibilities for each cluster before and during an emergency, naming the coordinator and the members of each cluster.

By December 2000, 5.100 tonnes of mixed food commodities, rubber boats, fuel containers, water &, sanitation, education and health supplies that would be available in case of emergency were also pre-positioned in various places judged to be at risk.