Hundreds are dead and many more are missing after flooding in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, caused by a cyclone and heavy rain.
Aid agencies are scrambling to rescue families trapped by rivers that burst their banks as a result of Cyclone Idai.
Mozambique's president says the number of victims there could be as high as 1,000.
Speaking on state radio, Filipe Nyusi described it as a "real disaster of great proportions."
"Heartbreaking"
Doctors Without Borders said 90% of the area around the port city of Beira had been destroyed, as well as nearly all the city's communication lines.
The city has also lost power and with a potential "serious fuel shortage" on the cards, its power grid is not expected to start working until the end of the month.
The charity has deployed an emergency team to the area, saying it's work to ensure care continues.
It adds that the level of damage and destruction has "made assessment of the human toll and scale of disaster extremely difficult".
The Red Cross, meanwhile, described the scale of the disaster as 'heartbreaking'.
Disaster
A spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organisation, Claire Nullis, said: "What we are seeing emerging from our informal networks and from the official databases is if the worst fears are realised... it is one of the worst weather-related disasters in the southern hemisphere."
The World Food Programme said at least 1.7m people were in the path of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique.
At least 238 people have been killed and 400,000 were left homeless.
The scale of #CycloneIdai in Beira, Mozambique, is truly heartbreaking. Initial assessments from @ifrc estimate at least 90% of the area is completely destroyed. Read what IFRC aid workers are witnessing in the area: https://t.co/reDWmHKw2W 🎥 @IFRCAfrica pic.twitter.com/25l3kM2vl3
— American Red Cross (@RedCross) March 18, 2019
Zimbabwe's government, meanwhile, said it was working to ensure rescue and relief teams could reach areas affected by Cyclone Idai.
Yesterday officials put the death toll at 98 people, with more than 200 others missing.
A further 56 have been confirmed dead in Malawi, with scores missing in both countries.
"This is a major humanitarian emergency that is getting bigger by the hour," said Herve Verhoosel of the World Food Programme.
He said that large numbers of people are "crammed on rooftops and elevated patches of land" and aid workers are scrambling to rescue as many as possible and providing air drops of food, water and blankets.
"People visible from the air may be the lucky ones, and the top priority now is to rescue as many as possible and ferry them to safety," he said.
CHIREDZI
Whilst the District did not receive violent rains but due to continuous socking a number of houses and huts collapsed in Chiredzi North's ward 24. The CPU is on the ground to assess the situation. A number of roads are slippery and dangerous hampering access. pic.twitter.com/yk8pMpPfqt— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) March 19, 2019
President Emmerson Mnangagwa said: "The easing of this deadly cyclone will not mark the end of our troubles and challenges.
"We should brace for post deluge challenges and complications, not least the likely outbreak of water borne diseases and related epidemics."
