Chakwera visits tropical Cyclone victims in Chikhwawa
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera on Monday had an aerial view of the extent of damage done by tropical Cyclone Ana when he flew over Chikhwawa and parts of Nsanje in a helicopter, areas hit hard by the cyclone.
Government says at least 32 people have been killed by the cyclone which triggered floods and 20 others are still missing as thousands have been displaced.
President Chakwera saw for himself victims of the cyclone who lack food and other basic things in life.
He has since assured the people of Nsanje and Chikwawa of government support in response to the Cyclone Ana triggered floods that have affected the two districts.
Dr Chakwera also highlighted that government will expedite all necessary arrangements to repair the M1 Road which has been cut by flooding water at Kanjedza in Chikwawa.
At Thabwa camp, Chakwera said: “The magnitude of the disaster is the worst of its kind in Malawi. These are the direct effects of climate change.
“Parliament will be meeting soon. The budget will include allocations for rebuilding the nation from the impact of the floods.”
The President then called on development partners to assist the country as it grapples with the effects of Tropical Cyclone Ana.President Chakwera told journalists that he will be meeting heads of state in the African Union for a possible support to Malawi in different sectors that have been affected by tropical cyclone Ana.
He said he is expecting a full assessment report on what Malawi requires and the cost of rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed.
Chakwera declared Malawi a state of disaster on Tuesday last week.
President Chakwera says due to climate change, all weather conditions are going to the extreme, such as the excessive rains the country experienced.
He says this is evident in that even well-constructed roads and houses collapsed.
He notes that due to damage of roads, not all people have been reached with humanitarian assistance.
In Nsanje and Chikhwawa, life now is said to have become expensive following the devastating floods because demand for commodities is higher than the supply.
Some business persons have started cashing in on the situation by selling important commodities such as fuel, and some food items on very high prices.
For example, Petrol which normally trades at 1150 kwacha per litre is now costing 2000 kwacha.
The district has also been hit by scarcity of important food items such as rice, flour, bread to just mention a few.
Most parts in Chikwawa and Nsanje are in accessible due to damage of roads which were washed away by floods.
This has caused a drastic cut to important supplies to the two districts.
There are also fears that more people could be infected with Covid-19 pandemic as preventive measures are not followed in most evacuation camps where families are crammed.
Most people are not putting on face masks, are not practising social distances in camps among others.
This is the situation despite the fact the country continues to record more new Covid 19 cases and deaths on a daily basis.
The Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) has since stepped in to provide Covid-19 preventive materials for people living in evacuation camps.
MRCS is among organisations providing relief items and rescue assistance to disaster hit districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Zomba, Phalombe, Mwanza and Mulanje.
Education has also grossly been affected as classes have been disrupted in flood hit districts as survivors use classrooms for shelter.
Those living in camps in Chikwawa have since appealed for additional tents for shelter so that classes should not continue to be disrupted.
