Two weeks have been set aside for national mourning in Malawi as a result of Cyclone Freddy’s more than 200 fatalities this week. Chakwera further commanded that all flags fly at half-staff for the first week in a televised address on Wednesday night. Chakwera declared he would be in charge of helping Malawians impacted by the historic storm.
The decision to institute a 14-day period of mourning, according to Chakwera, was made when he saw the extent of the cyclone’s destruction — one of the longest-lasting tropical storms on record — and the suffering victims endured in order to preserve their lives.
He pleaded with Malawians not to give up.
Even yet, he said, “we cannot afford to grieve while doing nothing. Ours must be a grief that is dynamic and accompanied by action. Four goals will be the main focus of our immediate activity, which I am in the southern region to organise. One, I am now organising the steps from here to make sure that all of those we have lost are given a suitable and respectable funeral. And every person who went missing has been found.
Moreover, Chakwera promised to see to it that everyone who is stuck or trapped is rescued.
In addition, he disclosed that at a Wednesday night emergency Cabinet meeting, authorities had approved the release of around $1.6 million to help the thousands of Malawians who had been severely affected by the storm.
Nevertheless, Chakwera pointed out that money was insufficient and made a plea for international aid to help the thousands of people who are currently living in evacuation camps.
The environment at the camps is difficult, especially for children, according to Shorai Ng’ambi, a behaviour change specialist for UNICEF, who spoke to VOA on Thursday in the Naotcha evacuation camp in Blantyre.
We have noticed that many of the camp residents are youngsters, thus the scenario in all the camps we have seen is very appalling, she remarked. “There are many things that are missing. You mention things like food, lodging, and bedding, for instance. We are also considering nutrition, water, and sanitation concerns.
Ng’ambi, however, stated that some of these difficulties were being addressed by the U.N. children’s agency.
As you can see, we are bringing buckets and chlorine into the camp for the residents so that there is cleanliness to stop the spread of cholera, she stated. Also, we are evaluating the kids’ health at the camps. Yet, we also want to guarantee that education is ongoing.
Due to persistent rain in the area, the administration has decided to keep schools closed in the southern region until next week.
The rains are being caused by an impending weather front from Congo, according to meteorological experts in Malawi, who claim that Cyclone Freddy has since passed.
