Floods from recent incessant rains have left Dorothy Tsamba, 87, of Robert Village in Traditional Authority Lundu in Chikwawa a widow. Her husband was washed away by flood waters that submerged their home at midnight.
In an interview in the presence of her two grandchildren, Lameck and Joseph, who were helping to translate her story into Chichewa from Sena, she said her family is among 250 people camping at a temporary shelter in the area.
“He was sick, too weak to run when the water entered our hut. I cried for help, but everyone was running for their lives. I am lucky to have survived,” recounted Tsamba.
Group Village Head Robert said his village recorded one death and 20 injuries during the floods.
Road access to the East Bank of Shire River through Chathaubweya is cut. Residents from the three villages—Robert, Bester and Samson—now rely on canoes to cross the brown and flood waters to reach safety, shelter and relief.
Yesterday, Acting British High Commissioner Ben Nicholson, who yesterday accompanied a World Food Programme (WFP) team on an assessment mission in the district, jumped on a canoe to reach the affected areas. He expressed concern with the situation.
“It is a sorry sight. People here are suffering. We really need to do something and the UK will keep supporting through climate financing. This is why I came to see the situation first-hand,” he said.
| Kondwani Nyondo
Chikwawa District Disaster Risk Management Office deputy director of response Mabel Mbendera said the district has recorded nine deaths, with over 24 000 people affected and 1 828 displaced. The affected people are now sheltering in 24 temporary camps.
Meanwhile, the scale of devastation from the recent heavy rains continues to worsen, with newly released figures showing a sharp rise in deaths, injuries and affected households across the country, with the death toll now at 34.
A latest update from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) indicates that as of Wednesday, March 25, at least 34 people have died and 197 others sustained various injuries due to floods and related disasters triggered by persistent rains.
The figures represent a sharp increase from those that were released earlier on Sunday which showed that the country recorded 22 deaths and 84 injuries.
On the other hand, the number of affected households has more than doubled from 31 035 or 139 662 people reported on Sunday to 69 088 households, representing approximately 310 896 people in all the 23 councils that have been affected nationwide.
According to the update signed by Dodma commissioner Wilson Moleni, the rise in figures reflects ongoing assessments in previously inaccessible areas and suggest that the situation may deteriorate further.
The data further show that Chikwawa remains the hardest-hit, with one deaths and over 24 000 households affected, followed by Machinga and Mangochi districts which have also recorded multiple fatalities and injuries. Other districts such as Salima, Neno and Zomba have also reported deaths.
Persistent rains which began around mid-March triggered floods, mudslides and infrastructure damage, severely disrupting livelihoods and basic services.
