Personnel and equipment from the United States are expected to arrive over the weekend. But for many, the aid will be too late. Tens of thousands of people remain marooned by rising flood waters, as yet more storms are forecast for the coming days. Survivors airlifted to safety have been telling harrowing tales of their children and other relatives collapsing from hunger and exhaustion and being swept away. Children are at particular risk from disease Aid workers have warned that many thousands more could die before relief gets to them.
Malaria is a growing danger with clouds of disease-carrying mosquitoes appearing in flooded areas.
Almost half the people rescued from the Save river valley are showing symptoms of malaria, Unicef officials say. The valleys of the Limpopo and Save rivers in the south of the country remain severely flooded. There also is a high risk of flooding the Zambezi valley further north. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Links to other Africa stories are at the foot of the page.