Those who were affected by Cyclone Freddy have been reassured by Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera that they would receive the aid they require.
On his first trip to the Blantyre evacuation camps since last week’s declaration of a state of calamity in all the flood-affected districts, Chakwera made the statement on Wednesday. The president also went to the storm victims’ mass burial. More than 200 people have died in Malawi as a result of the record tropical storm, and more have perished in neighbouring Mozambique.
In order to help the thousands of people affected and displaced by the storm in 10 districts in southern Malawi, Chakwera said his government has put aside around $1.6 million.
“I will convene a Cabinet meeting shortly to approve the crisis budget we have so far, “the president remarked. “Since doing so would put the victims’ lives in danger, we should not strive to follow financial approval processes.
Those that are displaced claim they are lacking in food, clothing, soap, and clean water.
The government gave various types of relief supplies, including wheat, clothing, and buckets, during the president’s visit.
The president also went to a mass funeral for the 28 storm victims.
According to Chakwera, his administration has requested rescue aircraft from its neighbours to support Malawi’s ongoing search-and-rescue operations.
More than 35 highways in Malawi, according to authorities, have been damaged by floodwaters, making it impossible to rescue many cyclone victims.
But they too are having issues; “we are now speaking with our development partners for support,” he added. “We need their help so that we can help our folks who have been severely impacted by Cyclone Freddy,” they said.
According to Namita Biggins, the public relations officer at the U.S. Embassy in Malawi, the U.S. government is quickly reacting to the problem through a number of entities.
At Nsanje and Chikwawa, we are offering emergency shelter to impacted homes thanks to our $2 million donation to Catholic Relief Services,” she stated in a statement recorded on Tuesday. “The process of promptly assigning extra, life-saving resources has also been started by USAID in order to give crucial humanitarian aid, such as blankets, buckets, tarps, chlorine tablets to assure clean water, mosquito nets, and more.
In order to identify how the United States government can assist the government of Malawi in reaching the hardest-hit communities, Biggins said USAID has people on the ground working closely with the Emergency Operations Centre in Blantyre.
Cyclone Freddy has reportedly decreased, according to meteorological experts in Malawi, but rainfall will persist for the next four days, mostly due to an impending weather front from Congo.
