Hailstorm leaves hundreds homeless, injures 11
A heavy downpour accompanied by strong storm that hit Nkhata Bay district on Tuesday morning has left 11 people seriously injured and hundreds of others dispossessed in the area of T/A Mankhambira.
The injured people are currently receiving treatment at Nkhata Bay District Hospital and Chilambwe Health Center, according to Police.
The hailstorm which took some hours has also completely destroyed 50 houses of which five belong to teachers at Msumba Primary School. A school block at Msumba has been demolished.
District Education Manager for Nkhata Bay, Mzondi Moyo said the five affected teachers and their families are currently seeking shelter in classrooms.
T/A Mankhambira told a local radio, hundreds of his subjects were counting losses of their property after the heavy rains and hailstorms hit the area.
“The houses have completely been damaged and my people are now hopeless, all their property has been lost in the incident,” said Mankhambira whose house has also been reportedly destroyed.
The traditional leader has since sent an SOS to government to immediately provide them with relief food and other items such as tents for shelter and basic utensils.
Most people in the area depend on agriculture to feed their families and have expressed shock at the disaster that has left them in tears and panic.
The hailstorms, which pounded almost the entire area of T/A Mankhambira, and caused a substantial magnitude of destruction has also brought anxiety to the people who now feel hunger might stalk them next year.
Meanwhile, officials from the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Relief were on Wednesday expected to start taking stock of how many people had been displaced and what property had been damaged in the probably fierce hail storm Malawi has recorded this year.
