The Zambian Government has appealed for financial and material contributions from private, public institutions and independent members of the public to help assist the three countries that have been hit by the devastating tropical cyclone Idai.
Minister in the Office of the Vice President Silvia Chalikosa has advised the Business Community to see the cyclone Idai as a business opportunity to sale their products to people that want to donate towards the disaster.
Ms. Chalikosa has also warned fraudsters against using this appeal to swindle unsuspecting members of the public in the name of government.
She has emphasized that the only authorized body to receive any donations is the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU).
More than 1,800 people have been affected by the cyclone in the three countries namely Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, leaving many dead, injured and others missing.
And Assistant Director for Prevention and Mitigation in the DMMU Office of the Vice President Titus Ng’andu has disclosed that Malawi alone requires US$42.2 million to mitigate the disaster.
Mr. Ngandu says the aftermath of the cyclone is a secondary disaster which will include epidemic outbreaks.
He has also disclosed that there are already reports of Cholera outbreak in Beira.
He says SADC has already contributed US$500, 000 and has requested member countries to come on board and assist the affected countries.
According to a presentation by the Zambia Meteorological Department, the cyclone has caused the southern parts of Zambia to receive 60 percent less rainfall than they normally receive and 60 percent more rain in the northern parts of the country that normal.
The Acting Director of Meteorology Edson Nkonde says poor yields are therefore expected in Southern, Lusaka, North-Western and parts of Eastern Provinces as the crops there have been caused to wilt.
The Intense Tropical Cyclone Idai is regarded as one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa and the Southern Hemisphere as a whole.

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