Long road to recovery

Nearly one million people have been affected

As the waters subside in Mozambique following the worst floods in living memory, relief efforts are turning to feeding and sheltering the survivors.

Nearly one million people are destitute. They need clean drinking water, food, medical supplies and temporary shelter.

But all this has to be provided in the context of a shattered infrastructure - roads, railways and bridges have been destroyed and clinics swept away.

Alison Woodhead of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which is co-ordinating the UK appeal, says the top priority is providing clean water.

Helicopters played a key role in saving people

''Although the waters are receding in the south, in some ways it's just the start of the problems because they leave behind dead bodies and filthy pools of standing water,'' she added.

''Ironically in a country that has been under water for weeks, dehydration is one of the biggest problems and possibly the biggest killer, particularly for the young and old.''

Aid workers fear the death toll could also soar as a result of water borne diseases such as malaria and cholera, which were both already endemic in Mozambique before the floods.

Relief agencies are distributing hygiene kits, including oral rehydration salts and antibiotics, and collapsible water tanks, which can be mounted on lorries and driven to affected areas.

Rescue

The UN says 10,000 people have been rescued from immediate danger and the search and rescue operation is now over.

However, pockets of people are still stranded on islands of high ground and in need of assistance.