John Irvine:

At times, when they felt threatened, the soldiers tossed a sack of flour into the crowd, so instead of fighting them for it, the people could fight each other for it. There wasn't nearly enough to go around.

As well as everything else, there's a political dimension to what's going on here. Mozambique's government doesn't enjoy much support in this area. And these people believe the inadequate response is both deliberate and vindictive.

West of Beira, the land mass that has become a lake is roughly the size of Luxembourg, according to the most recent satellite imagery. This afternoon, ITV News was invited on board a government helicopter to the hard-hit town of Buzi, which is only accessible by air.

It's clear that the damage done to buildings by the high winds is extensive, but a week on, it's the water that's the persistent problem, forcing hundreds of people to take to rooftops to survive.

The government wanted us here to witness this, a visit by Mozambique's president. He could be pictured with some of his most desperate people. All went well with this photo opportunity, until people realized there was food supplies on board the presidential helicopter.

The president claims he's doing all he can to respond to their desperation. The problem is that, one week on, all he can doesn't look like nearly enough.