The images emerging from Mozambique are apocalyptic. Entire villages erased. A brown ocean where farmland used to be. And the haunting sight of desperate families clinging to the highest branches of trees, waiting for rescue that may not come in time. This is the "worst flood in a generation," a catastrophe that has brought a resilient nation to its knees.

Torrential rains, intensified by a slow-moving low-pressure system, have unleashed a deluge that has overwhelmed the Zambezi and Limpopo river basins. The scale of the devastation is difficult to comprehend. It is not just water; it is a humanitarian crisis of biblical proportions unfolding on our doorstep. The immediate urgency is clear: thousands are stranded without food or clean water, exposed to the elements and the terror of rising tides.

The View from Above

Rescue pilots flying sorties over the affected provinces describe a landscape devoid of landmarks. "There are no roads, no bridges, just water," one South African pilot reported. "We see people waving shirts from rooftops, from trees. We pick up who we can, but there are so many."

The tragedy is compounded by the suddenness of the event. Many villagers were caught unawares at night as river banks burst, sweeping away mud-walled homes in seconds. The death toll is currently unknown but expected to rise significantly as waters recede.

• International Response: A multi-national rescue operation is underway. Teams from South Africa, Brazil, and the UK have deployed with boats and helicopters to support the overwhelmed Mozambican authorities. It is a race against time and disease.
• The Human Cost: Lightning strikes have already claimed four lives in the chaos, adding nature's fury to the flood's destruction. Cholera outbreaks are now the secondary, silent killer that aid agencies fear most.

Climate Injustice?

Mozambique is once again the victim of a climate crisis it did not create. The frequency and intensity of these "once in a generation" events are increasing, pointing an accusatory finger at global carbon emissions. For the mother holding her child in a Baobab tree tonight, the geopolitics of climate change are irrelevant; her reality is survival.

As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mobilizes aid, the world must look at Mozambique not just with pity, but with a recognition of our shared responsibility. The water is rising for all of us; Mozambique is just the first to drown.