Cyclone Jude has affected 3 600 people in eight districts and left three individuals missing in Nsanje.
A statement released yesterday by commissioner for Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) Charles Kalemba indicates that the heavy rains and strong winds induced by Cyclone Jude have also damaged houses, swelled rivers and washed away bridges.
Reads the statement: “A report from Nsanje District Council indicates that three people are missing when a canoe they were sailing in from a nearby area in Mozambique to Nsanje capsized in Ruo River and that rescue operations have been launched.”
In Nsanje, houses stand in water due to the flooding of Nyamadzere River.
In Mwanza, two boys aged five and eight sustained serious injuries after a wall of their house collapsed.
One is receiving treatment at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital while the other is at Mwanza District Hospital.
Since Monday, Neno District has had no electricity following damage to electricity poles while most roads have been rendered impassable due to rains and strong winds, which have also displaced 91 households in traditional authorities Dambe and Chekucheku.
In Phalombe, two temporary bridges at Ruo River have been washed away while 25 households have been affected in Traditional Authority Chiwalo.
“In total, the cyclone has affected over 3 600 people in eight councils, namely; Mulanje, Chikwawa, Thyolo, Zomba City, Phalombe, Neno, Mwanza and Mangochi,” reads the statement.
Meanwhile, the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (MET) has said Tropical Cyclone Jude exited Malawi yesterday through Nsanje.
In its update yesterday, MET said some southern areas are, however, still expected to receive significant rainfall today.
Reads the update: “Met will continue to monitor the movement and strength of Cyclone Jude. Any possible changes on its impacts on Malawi weather will be communicated to the nation accordingly.”
Tropical Cyclone Jude made landfall in Mozambique on Monday and entered Malawi on Tuesday through Phalombe District.
