Rainstorm destroys Malawi Government offices
A rainstorm destroyed millions worth of print materials at the government print warehouse in the capital Lilongwe.
Materials include papers, gazettes, employment and procurement acts, other files and folders, among other items,
Nyasa Times source said destroyed materials includes print ink, which was normally said to be scarce at the print section.
It is uncertain if the print works will resume quickly as materials have been restocked in the print works area.
Recently over 60 families were rendered homeless by heavy rainstorm in the central Malawi district of Salima.
Several people were injured when walls fell on them, while others were hurt by flying corrugated iron sheets.
It has been raining heavily in Malawi this month.
About 15 people were also reported injured while over 50 household families were left homeless following heavy rains in Kamkonole village in Traditional Authority Zulu in Mchinji district, according to Mchinji District Commissioner Gasten Macheka.
The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has said Malawi is expected to experience normal rainfall amounts, extreme weather events such as floods will also occur especially in low lying areas.
“Since El Nino conditions are becoming established, prolonged dry spells cannot be ruled out,” reads weather forecast statement from MET.
This forecast covers the rainfall season from October 2012 to March 2013 and is relevant only to seasonal time-scales and relatively large areas.
The forecast indicates that the country during the period October 2012 to March 213, Malawi has 35 percent chance of rainfall total being above normal, 40 percent chance of being normal and 25 percent chance of being below normal.
However, it doesn’t account for local, day to day and month to month variations in distribution of rainfall.
“This seasonal forecast is issued to users as a planning tool. For day to day operations, users are advised to make use of the short and medium range forecasts and the 10-day Rainfall and Agro-meteorological bulletins that the department issues during the season,” according to the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services.
