Malawi’s situation is “still dire” two weeks after Storm Freddy wreaked havoc in the southern region, the country’s information minister said
According to Moses Kunkuyu, the death toll had risen to over 600, and many displaced people were still living in camps that provided shelter and food.
Floods had washed away roads and dozens of bridges, he said, making it difficult to provide desperately needed aid.
Because of the congestion, the minister stated that there was a risk of outbreaks of water-borne diseases in the camps.
He stated that there was a crisis in the health and education sectors in the storm-affected areas. Repairs to electricity lines damaged by a previous cyclone were still incomplete, and many areas remain without power.
“As a result, even the health sector is now overburdened.” “Education centers are also still affected because the majority of the camps that have been established are at schools,” he said.
He stated that as schools reopened, the government was forced to make the difficult decision to relocate displaced people from schools to tents that would serve as temporary shelters.
He also stated that the storm had damaged at least 500 schools.
The minister has requested additional humanitarian assistance.
Storm Freddy hit Mozambique and Malawi for the second time in a month earlier this month, destroying scores of homes and causing widespread flooding.
