Minister Dausi consoles Mulanje flood victims
Minister of Homeland Security Nicolas Dausi on Thursday presided over the distribution of relief items to 3,790 flood victims in Mulanje District.
The victims suffered stormy rains that damaged their houses and household property last Sunday.
Dausi accompanied by the Mulanje District Commissioner Charles Makanga inspected some of the affected structures in the area of Sub Traditional Authority Ndanga before promising support to the victims.
He said government was aware of the problems the people were facing and that it was taking all the necessary measures to help people live their normal lives again.
“We are aware that you are already facing hunger due to armyworms that destroyed crops in the previous planting season.
“We will make sure that the people affected are assisted. We know that there was already hunger in the area before the floods,” Dausi said.
The minister also advised the people to build strong houses that can withstand floods and stormy weather since the area is flat and prone to disasters.
“Our advice as government is that you build houses that are resilient and can withstand this kind of weather. Mulanje north is an area that is flat and is susceptible and amenable to a lot of floods,” he said.
Apart from urging the people to plant trees that would protect their houses, Dausi asked them to move to upper lands for safety.
“The area is prone to water disasters; so why don’t they move and construct houses in upper lands,” he said.
Sub Traditional Authority Ndanga thanked government for helping the victims.
“This is the first time to have a disaster of this magnitude. I am grateful to government for attending to our needs.
“There was already hunger in our area but we have been assured that soon we will be receiving maize,” he said.
The relief items included one 50kg bag of maize, two blankets, 10-metre plastic sheet for temporary roofing, 5 plastic cups, four plastic plates, 1kg salt, 5kg bag of beans and a 20-litre plastic bucket per household.
Meanwhile, government through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) will on Saturday start distributing relief maize to 36,223 people in the district.
The people had their crops destroyed by Fall Army Worms in the previous planting season, according to Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) Report.
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