The government on Monday announced it would give £6m and yesterday released an additional £12m, to provide food, water and shelter for those hundreds of thousands affected by the disaster, Cyclone Idai.
Some 300 people are confirmed dead in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, but this is expected to rise. The powerful cyclone has swept across south-eastern African last week, leaving a trail of devastation.
The UK has provided over 7,500 emergency shelter kits and 100 family tents, which arrived in Mozambique for onward distribution to families who have been forced to flee their homes.
Penny Mordaunt, international development secretary, said: “I’ve been extremely moved by the images I’ve seen of this devastating cyclone which has caused misery for millions of people across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
“This is, undoubtedly, one of the biggest natural disasters to ever hit the region, and our thoughts remain firmly with the victims of this cyclone.”
The United Nations has called for “immediate funding” and support to those affected by the cyclone. The disaster is “getting bigger by the hour”, it warned.
The president of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi has called it “a humanitarian disaster of great proportion”.
Medical agencies are warning that the shortage of food and clean drinking water is increasing the threat of disease.
