The pilots picked up one women who had lost her nails trying to maintain her grip. There were too few helicopters to pluck all the survivors from the flood. People are not starving yet, but food is becoming as much a matter of urgency as rescue. It is not just a case of preventing malnutrition. Bodies weakened by hunger and lack of clean water are good refuges for disease, particularly in overcrowded camps.
Aid workers live in fear of the first cases of cholera.
Not all the tree dwellers are grateful to see the helicopters. Some people furiously wave them away. Perhaps they fear to be tossed from the tree. It is more likely that they do not want to abandon what little they have left. From the branches, many people can see their homes.