Cyclone Jude has left behind flooded villages, damaged crops and dead livestock as well as more than 4 883 people rendered homeless in 11 districts in the Southern Region of Malawi.
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) commissioner Charles Kalemba said in a statement yesterday that the total number of people affected by Cyclone Jude has increased from 3 600 on Wednesday to 20 646 people.
Reads the statement: “The number of the injured remains 15 with Thyolo, Mulanje and Mwanza recording four injuries each whereas Phalombe and Blantyre [District] registered two and one, respectively.
“The national search and rescue [SAR] team are still conducting operations following the disappearance of three people in Nsanje and the flooding of areas around Thuchila River in Phalombe.”
So far, eight camps have been established in the affected districts.
In Mulanje, 72-year-old Esther Chibwana of Traditional Authority (T/A) Nkanda said when Thuchila River burst its banks it washed away her rice, which she was planning to sell to get basic needs for her 10-member family.
Another survivor, 50-year-old Gladys Joseph said she escaped the floods with only clothes she wore on the tragic day.
“The floods arrived around 2am on Tuesday. I had no time to rescue my three goats and chickens and other belongings as what mattered was to survive. I just left with my five children as the house was falling,” she said.
Nkanda Area Disaster Risk Management Committee chairperson Jennipher Kalumba said over 227 households have been affected.
“Only 172 households have been assisted with assorted items as of Thursday. We need more assistance for all because they have to survive,” she said.
In Nsanje, heavy rains burst Nyamadzere River and water spilled over Nyamadzere Bridge on the Nsanje-Marka Road going into some houses in Mtemangao, Stanford, Njuzi and Thomusoni villages.
One of the affected people, 41-year-old Maria Kaphesi from Mtemangao Village in T/A Malemia said the water damaged clothes and food items of her family of eight.
Said Kaphesi: “Since Monday, I have been relying on assistance from relatives living in other villages. We are yet to receive assistance from Dodma.”
In Mangochi, a preliminary report by Mangochi District Council indicates that Cyclone Jude has affected 339 households in T/A Chowe and Sub Traditional Authority Moto, leaving many displaced and in need of relief assistance.
Meanwhile, Dodma said it was working with partners to provide assistance to affected people.
Cyclone Jude made a landfall in Mozambique on Monday and entered Malawi on Tuesday through Phalombe before exiting on Wednesday.
The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (MET) said yesterday that the cyclone was no longer posing a threat, but warned that significant rainfall is anticipated in the northern highlands, lakeshore areas, and portions of the Central Region due to the influence of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone.
Reads the update: “This locally heavy rainfall may trigger isolated flash floods, especially in northern Malawi.”
In December, Cyclone Chido entered Malawi and affected 10 159 people, claimed 13 lives and left 29 injured.
Since the start of the 2024/25 rainfall season, severe weather characterised by heavy rains has killed at least 39 people and injured 469 others.
—Additional reporting by MARTIN GELA, AYAMBA KANDODO and TEMWA MHONE, Staff Writers.
