According to Malawi’s disaster management organisation, Cyclone Freddy, which has killed at least 40 people, has forced flight cancellations and forced the closure of schools in the country’s southern provinces.
At least ten districts in the southern part of Malawi have suffered damage as a result of Cyclone Freddy, which made landfall there on Friday.
Schools in southern Malawi have been closed temporarily by the Lilongwe administration. Authorities in Blantyre temporarily halted flights at Chileka International Airport on Sunday and Monday.
“Our officers have been sent to rescue and offer other services to individuals who require rescue, and we are in each of the districts since we also have police stations in these districts,” said Peter Kalaya, spokesperson for Malawi’s Police Service. But suffice it to say that while the rains are still falling, they are hindering our efforts.
While they anticipate data from nine additional impacted areas, Kalaya stated that the death toll would probably increase.
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Rescue operations are being carried out by the police, the military, and the Malawi Red Cross, according to Chipiliro Khamula, spokeswoman for Malawi’s Department of Disaster Preparation, who spoke to VOA on Monday.
A national emergency operations centre has also been established in Limbe, according to Khamula, to make it easier to coordinate preparation activities. In order to provide aid to impacted regions effectively and efficiently, we have once again stocked up on certain relief supplies at the humanitarian staging centre in Bangula, at our warehouse in Blantyre, and in several districts.
The cyclone has reportedly begun to diminish and is shortly anticipated to exit Malawi, according to Yobu Kachiwanda, spokeswoman for Malawi’s Meteorological Service.
The forecast indicates that it will remain there for the upcoming 24 to 48 hours and then return to the Mozambique Channel as normal by midweek or the weekend.
It’s been almost a month since Cyclone Freddy first made an appearance, and it’s thought to be the storm that’s lasted the longest in the area in the last 20 years. Many fatalities have been reported as a result of the cyclone since February in Mozambique and Madagascar.
This week, the storm is predicted to affect areas of Zambia and Zimbabwe as well.
