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Date: April 14, 2000 
A disaster coordinator will be appointed soon to direct the United Methodist response to flood relief efforts in Mozambique. Designating a local coordinator to work through the United Methodist Church of Mozambique is the first step toward creating a comprehensive plan regarding the devastation caused by February rains and Cyclone Eline, said Kristin Sachen of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) on April 13.
As UMCOR's executive for international emergency response, Sachen joined several others in an April 4-9 assessment visit to Mozambique. In the areas directly hit by flooding, they found that members of various villages had formed working units in the refugee camps. "The camps were very well organized and were neat and tidy," she added.
Places like the denomination's Chicuque Rural Hospital, however, have had no relief effort despite the indirect effects of the disaster. "That area is not flooded but it is cut off, it is isolated by the breaks in the road," Sachen explained. Inflated prices and a lack of goods have contributed to a sense of weariness there, she said.
The hospital itself has a major problem with erosion, and a new break in the road "is a serious hazard that endangers the homes and the lives of the people who live alongside it." Sachen is hoping the government may have an interest in cooperating with the church to share the costs of repair.
Once a coordinator is named, UMCOR plans to arrange disaster response training for both clergy and laity in the church in Mozambique, empowering them to respond to current problems and future disasters. Right now, for example, the church needs members who can go into the villages to determine who needs to have their houses rebuilt, she said.
Another member of the assessment team was Rebecca Williams, who works with the nongovernmental organization (NGO) established by UMCOR for projects funded by governmental and other organizations. Williams will propose that UMCOR set up an NGO office in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, according to Sachen.
Churches outside the United States and Mozambique also have become directly involved in relief efforts. As of mid-April, United Methodists in Germany had raised about $275,000 for Mozambique, according to Thomas Kemper, a church official.
About 27 United Methodist churches were affected by the floods, according to information passed from the Mozambique church to Carol Kreamer, coordinator of the Mozambique Initiative of the denomination's Missouri Area.
In the Gaza District, Chokwe United Methodist Church was destroyed, along with the pastor's house, and its 800 members lost everything. Thirty-five families belonging to the church in Xai-Xai lost their homes, and the city itself was destroyed. In Bilene, church members and the pastor need housing, food and clothing because the entire infrastructure was destroyed. At Nataniel Bahule United Methodist Church, the floods directly affected only about 10 members, but food is a problem because many people have taken refuge in the area.
In the Inhambane North District, Nova Mambone church was destroyed, with 1,500 suffering from the disaster. Maimelane United Methodist Church also was destroyed, along with the homes of 15 families, including the pastor. The floods affected 25 families belonging to Inhassoro church.
In the Sofala District, the church in Buzi was destroyed and the population of the city, including the 500 church members, left with nothing. United Methodist churches in Beira, Central Manga and Dondo suffered some damage but were not total losses.
Erosion and the lack of a proper road remain problems in the Inhambane Centro District, where Chicuque is located, but the churches were not physically affected. Nor are there major problems with the churches in the Massinga South, North and Vilanculos districts, although some houses were destroyed.
In the Maputo District, the local churches of Betania, Malhangalene, Malhazine and Chamanculo were affected by floods and erosion. In the Maputo West District, Xinavane United Methodist Church, with 1,200 members, was destroyed. Many other homes, including the pastor's house, also were destroyed. Some of the 600 members of local churches in the Moamba area have lost their homes and belongings.
"The members that are not affected by this calamity are contributing clothes and other things to help our brothers and sisters that were affected by floods and cyclone," wrote the Rev. Xavier Guambe, director of the council on ministries for the Mozambique church. "The government assists too, but the situation is demanding."
He added that the next phase after the emergency will be to help people rebuild their
homes. United Methodist Bishop João Somane Machado of Mozambique has purchased a machine
that makes bricks out of earth to assist with this effort, as well as for rebuilding
churches and parsonages.
At this point, according to Sachen, monetary donations are more crucial than volunteer teams to get a major relief effort going. The United Methodist Church has issued a Churchwide Appeal for Flood Recovery in Mozambique and Neighboring Countries. Checks may be written to UMCOR, designated to Advance #56500-0, and placed in church collection plates or mailed to 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit-card donations can by made by calling (800) 554-8583.
Source: United Methodist News Service.
Photo: Bishop João Somane Machado of Mozambique has purchased a high-compression block-making machine like this one that was donated by UMCOR to help rebuild homes in Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch. Credit: Paul Jeffrey/CCD, 1999