By Grecium Gama:
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has urged organisations and individuals to continue supporting families affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which struck the Southern Region in March last year.
Recorded as the most powerful storm to hit the southern hemisphere and the longest-lasting on record, Freddy left at least 1,200 people dead and displaced more than 650,000 others in Malawi.
It also disrupted livelihoods by washing away survivors’ assets, including livestock and household items.
Dodma Director of Preparedness and Response, Moses Chimphepo, said many survivors still lack shelter, food and the capital needed for self-sufficiency.
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Chimphepo made these remarks at Katuma Village in Traditional Authority Nkanda in Mulanje during a ceremony where Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda officially handed over six houses to the cyclone’s survivors.
The houses were constructed by the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi (Nonm) at a cost of K50 million.
“Nkanda has many people still living in inadequate housing. We urge organisations to follow Nonm’s example by assisting those in dire need of proper housing,” Chimphepo said.
Kandodo Chiponda pledged to continue lobbying other organisations to help construct more houses in the area and in other districts affected by the cyclone.
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“I have witnessed the suffering of the people. I will be reaching out to more organisations for further assistance. Housing is crucial for human dignity,” the minister said.
For his part, Nonm president Shouts Simeza said the healthcare workers’ body would continue to mobilise resources to construct houses for survivors of the storm.
“We were distressed by the suffering of the victims after the cyclone, which prompted us to mobilise funds. We will continue to seek help from other partners,” Simeza said.
A beneficiary of the housing initiative, Rebecca Kaipa, described the support as timely, saying she had been sleeping in a makeshift shelter since the cyclone struck her area.
While various stakeholders have been reaching Freddy’s survivors with housing support, thousands are reportedly yet to get back on their feet a year after the record-breaking disaster.
