South Africa sends rescue teams, relief items to help Malawi floods devastation
Following President Peter Mutharika’s declaration of state of disaster in areas affected by heavy rains and subsequent floods, the South African government has responded by donating relief items to the Malawi government.
A plane carrying the relief items arrived at Chileka Airport in Blantyre on Sunday afternoon.
The South African government has sent rescue teams and operational equipment and Mutharika has since hailed the rainbow nation for the support.
“The response will support and enhance Malawi government’s relief operations already deployed on the ground. The President assures all Malawians that we are a resilient nation and we will overcome the present challenges as we manged the 2015/2016 crisis,” reads part of the statement signed by Chief Secretary to the Government, Llyold Muhara.
The number of people killed in heavy rains and flooding in southern Malawi has risen to 28, Chipiliro Khamula, a spokesman for Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management in the Ministry of Homeland Security, said on Sunday, while the estimated number of people affected has roughly doubled.
According to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), the deaths were recorded in Machinga, Chikwawa, Zomba, Mulanje, Nsanje, Thyolo, Chiradzulu, Phalombe, Blantyre, Neno, Mwanza, Dedza, Balaka and Mangochi.
Over 22,000 families are homeless due to the floods and President Mutharika directed the DoDMA to urgently mobilize and coordinate emergency relief services to those affected.
The President also directed the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) to quickly move in and assist those trapped and displaced by the floods and the heavy rains.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Henry Mussa, who is also the Parliamentarian for Chiradzulu East, has assured the affected households that government will reach out to them with relief items starting from Monday.
Mussa said this when he visited some of the victims in Chiradzulu district where over 3000 households have been affected and some are camping in primary schools.
“I have personally come to all those that have been affected by heavy rains that hit the entire southern region. Here in Chiradzulu, 3,019 households families and lost their wares, clothes, food stuff and livestock.
“I brought the message of hope and that all is lost. The immediate thing that required by these people is food. They are all crying for food, wares and beddings, so government through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs and other stakeholders will provided the much needed support to them,” said Mussa.
Senior Chief Kadewere told the Minister that some of the victims are being accommodated at his compound and urged government to move in swiftly with relief food and other basic necessitates.
The Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi equally visited people and places affected by floods in Chiradzulu, Chikwawa, Mulanje and Zomba.
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Most houses in rural areas that got damaged with water belonged to poor and vulnerable people who could not benefit under the Malata Subsidy Program. Such people were sidelined and their materials were spirited away and sold on the local market for a penny by those mandated to assist these would be beneficiaries.
50 years of independence still relying on external technical expertise to deal with emergency challenges. What are the schools and colleges offering in terms of human development? Busy stealing our money instead of using that money to purchase equipment to deal with emergency situation forgetting one day we shall be in a desperate situation as the case is presently. Visionless government.
A Dausi,mwanenepa.Ka mimba tusu,misonkho ya a Malawi.
IF 2015/2016 Malawi sufferred the same – what has it done to control massive flooding in the lower Shire? Nothing
Magetsi – is the same old story – zinyalala and rising water levels – Kodi mavuto amenewa sitingawathetse as a nation
Will the development parteners take us serious when we call for help?
“…the forecast for the next several days says the storm will track east over the Mozambique channel and will rapidly intensify. The development of the storm will mostly be encouraged by the warm waters now running between 28-29 degrees Celsius. Once it develops over the warm water of Mozambique channel, the storm is expected to begin making a turn to the south, staying over open water. Northwestern Madagascar could then see up to 300mm of rain by Sunday. If the storm continues to strengths over the Mozambique channel next week, forecast suggest there could be a second landfall in southern… Read more »
With theeir pot bellies then we wait for jobeg to be first sort out our problems. While them are feasting right to left.
Galu uyu anaocha dala new car. Am sire he was awarded another porsh car day after and this is adding on to the fleet he already have.