Update, 19 February 2019
Further heavy rain in Malawi has affected areas of Southern and Central regions.
Previously authorities had reported that around 1,000 people had been displaced after floods in Nkhotakota district in the Central Region.
A rainstorm on 17 February left 15 people injured and 260 homes damaged in Nsanje district in the Southern Region, the country’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) reported yesterday.
DoDMA said they will provide relief assistance to the affected people once local councils conclude their assessments.
The department also said that flooding on 11 February in Salima district in Central Region affected 643 people, with 257 displaced. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
Original report, 15 February 2019
Around 1,000 people have been displaced by flooding in Central and Southern Regions of Malawi over the last few days after prolonged heavy rain.
Central Region
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) in Malawi reports that days of heavy rain that began around 03 February in upland areas and catchments of the Bua River, have caused flooding in Nkhotakota district in the Central Region of the country.
Flooding has displaced approximately 750 people and are staying in a local school or with friends or family. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
A report from Nkhotakota District Council indicates that the displaced are in dire need of food, shelter and kitchen utensils. DoDMA has dispatched relief items to be distributed to the affected areas.
Southern Region
Flooding was also reported in Mwanza District in the Southern Region after prolonged heavy rain from late January. DoDMA said over 1,600 people were affected, several houses damaged and one person was injured.
Mwanza District Council reported that “the rains, which continuously fell from 16th to 24th January, affected some areas in traditional authorities Kanduku, Nthache and Govati and damaged a number of houses. A total of 109 people were displaced and they sought refuge in their relations’ houses.”
DoDMA is making arrangements to distribute relief items to the affected people.
Earlier this year flooding affected areas around the capital, Lilongwe, affecting around 1,000 people from 10 January, 2019.
DoDMA also reported on 15 January that 3 people had died after houses collapsed due to heavy rain in Mangochi and Balaka districts, Southern Region.
