Cyclone disaster of 'biblical proportions'
Gift of the Givers has described the devastation caused by cyclone Idai across parts of southern Africa two weeks ago, as "biblical".
Medical team leader for the disaster relief organisation, Doctor Qasim Bhorat, has just returned from Mozambique, where he assisted as part of a team of 35 deployed to the hardest hit Mozambique coastal city of Beira.
Bhorat says the first thing they focused on was the search and rescue operations for people who were still trapped in flooded areas.
"The immediate first week or so of needs where search and rescue, saving people who were struck, stranded on their roofs or trees without water and food.
"Some injured, some critically ill, so the initial response was a search and rescue team with the South African Defence Force (SANDF). We airlifted a lot of people to dry areas.
"And then I, being a doctor, we provided medical care for those people in need," Bhorat said.
One of the things Gift of the Givers is concerned about is the spread of diseases in the area.
It was announced on Friday that the number of confirmed cholera cases in Mozambique rose to 139.
Also Read: Cholera cases rise to 139 as Mozambique prepares mass vaccinations
"The people who have survived this traumatic event, survived the injuries, now face a more sinnester cause. Something that's hard to see.
"But with the lack of ordering clean drinking water that is a huge challenge."
The United Nations has rolled out a mass vaccination campaign to stem the spread of cholera.
Bhorat also adds that Gift of The Givers sent a medical team to assist with the deadly disease.