WATCH | Rescue SA saves 450 in Mozambique flood crisis

The Mozambique floods that ravaged some areas of the country have been described as a ‘sea on land’ by South African rescue specialists who assisted more than 450 people to get to dry land despite limited aerial support.

Members of Rescue SA returned on Sunday after spending four days in the catastrophic floods that left 70 people dead and six missing.

The floods were caused by unprecedented rainfall intensified by La Niña.

Rescue specialist Connor Hartnady from the University of Johannesburg Rescue Centre said a team of six had been on standby to assist in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga floods when they got the call from Rescue SA to join in the operation in Mozambique.

He said the most challenging part of the rescue mission had been the limited number of aircraft.

“We initially probably had eight helicopters. In flooding, helicopters are the most important thing you can have,” he said.

“Something that takes 10 minutes to drive to can take you almost three days to get to in flooded areas. So, your most valuable asset is your helicopter. Even if the floodwaters recede, the amount of damage to the infrastructure doesn’t allow trucks and vehicles to pass along roads.

“So areas become islands. It is very important for them [Mozambican authorities] to have more helicopter capabilities.”

Another specialist, Xavier Millar, said upon arrival on Wednesday, they found numerous buses, trucks, and taxis stranded.

“They [taxis] were travelling north to Mozambique and were obstructed by the floodwaters and broken roads. We continued on, and then we arrived at what they call the Joint Operations Centre,” he said.

Millar described this as a high-ground field used as a casualty area where victims are assessed, helicopters delivered, and evacuated people given aid, and rescue teams coordinate operations.

“So, in this one instance, we came upon a house where, on the top of the roof, was a group of 24 people that were stranded, awaiting rescue. I jumped out and tried to direct people in.

“They showed me that below in a canoe was [an] old lady. She was too frail to walk. And then a young teenage girl who was incredibly sick. She had suffered severe wounds and for days had been lying in a plastic basin inside this little canoe,” he said.

Millar said the scene reminded him of how the weak and frail often get left behind in such circumstances.

“With the help of people on top of the roof, we were able to improvise a little rope system with some equipment I had brought with me and got them up, and then immediately got those people to prioritise them to get them to care.”

Hartnady said they were not part of the search team looking for Ekurhuleni MMC, Andile Mngwevu, although it was part of their mission group.

“It was part of our mission group, but it happened quite far off from where we were, but certainly if we had needed to assist, we would have,” he said.