Cyclone Freddy blemishes 2023

March 12 2023 started as an ordinary day with rains, influenced by Cyclone Freddy, gradually pouring.

But little did Malawians know the calamity that lay hidden in those cyclone-induced rains. As the rains kept on pouring, the joy that people had, slowly started turning into sorrow.

The rains, which fell continuously for over 24 hours, started triggering mudslides, washing away infrastructure such as houses, roads and electricity poles, killing people in the process.

Blantyre City, for the first time in the history of natural disasters, was the hardest hit.

Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) reported that as at March 26 2023, 511 people in Blantyre alone had succumbed to the mudslides induced by the devastating cyclone. By then, 577 camps were set which accommodated 563 771 cyclone survivors.

But the number of deaths, people missing and those of survivors kept on rising. Others survived the mudslides they were buried in for hours, which was a miracle.

The same situation was also reported in the districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Mulanje and Phalombe where apart from the mudslides. the cyclone caused flooding.

United States Ambassador David Young described the cyclone as a long-term disaster that the country may take time to recover from, calling on partners to support the country in its time of greatest need.

By this time, other countries like Tanzania came onto the scene and started helping Malawi with helicopters to rescue trapped Malawians and other food and non-food items.

The cyclone was the worst of its kind as by April 2023, it was estimated that 2 267 458 people in 16 districts were directly affected, including 659 278 people who were displaced (336 252 female; 323 026 male), 676 killed and 537 declared missing.

President Lazarus Chakwera also expressed sadness over the disaster.

And now, Malawi had to start counting the cost of the cyclone.

The Malawi Government’s Tropical Cyclone Freddy Post-Disaster Needs Assessment report released in May 2023 indicated that the country would require $680.4 billion (about K7 billion) for recovery and reconstruction.

The report revealed that the country lost a total of $506.7 billion (over K1.2 trillion) in the disaster.

Among others, the report also recommended the establishment of building regulations for resilience and the construction of new infrastructure that can withstand climate shocks and stressors and also the enhancement of disaster risk knowledge to allow for effective disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction activities, across sectors.

The worst part of the cyclone is that it compounded an already high cost of living by pushing up commodity prices.

Data compiled by the Consumers Association of Malawi showed that prices of basic commodities such as sugar, bread, cooking oil, flour and vegetables rose by an average of K600, weeks after the cyclone.

The association’s executive director John Kapito said: “Other than the seasonality factors, prices of goods have increased significantly in the Southern Region on account of Cyclone Freddy. Most crops have been washed away and road networks damaged.”

Economic statistician Alick Nyasulu also observed that the cyclone has had an impact on food prices, stressing the need for deliberate government policies to intervene.

He pointed out that the government should take control of food pricing through some legislation for selected food products.

At this time, local and international organisations, including the corporate sector and the government itself, had been helping by providing food and non-food items to survivors.

However, depending on the gravity of the situation, the donations were still not enough as regards the needs of the cyclone survivors.

As time passed by, the cyclone response got a boost in June 2023 when former president Bakili Muluzi, in his capacity as a goodwill ambassador for the response initiative, signed a $500 000 agreement for reconstruction of houses damaged in the disaster.

Under the agreement, the Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) was identified to use the funds, which were sourced from the Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation, in the construction process,.

The funds were to be used in the construction of 45 houses in Phalombe District and 30 in Zomba District.