A final assessment of the effects of Tropical Storm Gombe, which hit the Southern part of Malawi last month, indicates that it killed up to 39 people and injured 20 others.

This makes the 2021- 22 rainy season one of the deadliest in recent history as Tropical Storm Ana killed 46 in January, with 18 others reported missing.

A statement from the department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) says a total of 35,383 households, approximately 159,226 people, were affected, out of which 11,008 households, or approximately 49,536 people, were displaced.

“Tropical Storm Gombe affected 11 councils of Blantyre City, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Nsanje, Phalombe, Thyolo, Zomba District and Zomba City.

“A total of 18,694 houses were damaged in Mulanje, Phalombe, Machinga, Zomba, Thyolo and Nsanje districts, with 9,006 houses being completely damaged. Sixty seven camps were set and are hosting most of the displaced households while others sought refuge in schools and their relations’ houses,” the statement reads.

Dodma spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula said the affected councils had been conducting assessments to establish the extent of damage.

“In collaboration with humanitarian partners, the department deployed an Inter-Agency Assessment Team in heavily affected districts of Mulanje, Phalombe and Nsanje to expedite the assessment process and verify the findings,” he said.

The damage caused by Gombe compounded Dodma’s Ana response plan, which had a K68 billion funding deficit as of February 13 2022.

Out of the K72.7 billion which the department needed for the country to recover from the impact of Ana, the department had, by February 14, only received K2.8 billion and pledges of about K1 billion, leaving it with a K68 billion funding hole.