Emergency Co-ordination Zoom Meeting - Tropical Cyclone Freddy - open to ALL

Led by our sister organisation the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP)

Tropical Cyclone Freddy which hit Malawi on Saturday has led to loss of life, injury and devastation of crops, homes and infrastructure in parts of Southern Malawi. On Monday 13th March, Malawi’s President Chakwera declared a state of disaster in the Southern Region of the country.

At Tuesday 14th March, the Government of Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management (DODMA) report that at least 190 people in Malawi have been killed, 584 injured and with at least 37 reported missing, local authorities are predicting that the death toll will rise. The Government of Malawi has said that over 13,000 households have been displaced and more than 58,946 people affected. Fifty seven camps have been set up to accommodate displaced people.

Led by our sister organisation, the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP), in this online emergency update from Malawi, we heard updates from:

• Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA)
• Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) Malawi
• Red Cross Malawi
• EGENCO (The Electricity Generation Company Malawi Limited)
• The Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP)

Damage has been caused by torrential rain, high winds, significant flooding, rivers bursting their banks and landslides, notably in Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Phalombe, Thylo and Zomba districts.

Cyclone Freddy is one the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. The World Meteorological Organization says that after existing for 34 days, Freddy (which began off North Western Australia in the first week of February making landfall in Mozambique on Saturday 11th March) is also likely to have broken the record for the longest-lasting tropical cyclone. Schools in 10 districts in the Southern region have been closed.

The Malawi Red Cross is conducting search and rescue operations, administering First Aid and rushing casualties to hospital. Malawi’s Met Office has forecast that the cyclone will abate tonight but that heavy rains will persist.

We at the SMP shall continue to share updates received from Malawi, our members and their Malawian partners and will promote all appeals and signpost to any resources.

(Images taken by: Henry Chungu- Blantyre District)