Severe flooding in Zambia displaced hundreds of families and killed eight people on Monday. 

Hundreds of people are now living in tents outside Independence Stadium in the capital city, Lusaka. The floods also swept away roads, bridges and government buildings.

[Domiciano Mulenga, Head of Disaster Management]:

"Some districts have been affected by way of damage to infrastructure, particularly river crossings. Other districts have been affected by way of institutional buildings such as schools being affected and subsequently the educational system being disrupted. Others have been affected by way of the actual populations being displaced."

The government mobilized the army to assist aid agencies to address the crisis and is appealing to the donor community to support the relief effort. 

[Domiciano Mulenga, Head of Disaster Management]:

"To our cooperating partners to give us all the necessary support by way of donating whatever items, financial or any other materials, that they think may help the government respond more effectively to the flood situation."              

Officials in charge of the massive Kariba dam on the border with Zimbabwe had to open its floodgates. But this increased the chances of more downstream flooding on the Zambezi River in Mozambique.              

Last year, heavy rains in Malawi and Zambia caused flooding in Mozambique that killed 45 people and left almost 300,000 homeless.