Rainstorm survivors get relief food, items

Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has donated food and other relief items to 55 households affected by rainstorms in traditional authorities (T/As) Maganga and Pemba in Salima District.

The donation comes a week after rainstorms coupled with lightning killed five people and affected about 450 households in 11 of the country’s 28 districts.

Speaking during the donation on Sunday in T/A Pemba, Salima District Council spokesperson Fostina Mkandawire commended Dodma for the swift response.

She said they distributed maize, plastic sheets and kitchen utensils to survivors.

“We hope the food and other relief items will lessen people’s suffering for the time being.

“As a council, we will continue to work with different stakeholders to ensure that people affected by the disaster continue to receive relief items,” said Mkandawire.

Sarah Galezi, a survivor, said the donation came at a right time when her family lost food to the storm.

“I will use the plastic sheets to roof my house which was affected by the strong wind,” she said.

Dodma spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula said two people died in Mchinji after walls of their houses collapsed during the rainstorm while five others died in Nkhotakota following lightning strikes.

Salima is one of the districts that is prone to natural disasters.

Since November 2021, natural disasters, including rainstorms and floods, have affected about 3 699 households in the district.

To mitigate the effects of disasters, Dodma engaged district councils ahead of the rainy season to develop plans to respond to the disasters.

According to the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, the country is expected to receive normal to above normal rainfall in the 2022/23 season.