Floods Devastate Malawi, Affecting 638,000 People

Malawi Floods Situation Report  by UNOCHA, UNICEF and FAO

28 January 2015

• Some 638,000 people affected countrywide, according to Department of Disaster Management Affairs/OCHA situation report 23 January 2015

• [More than ¼ million people have been displaced in Malawi floods including] 174,000 in 3 most affected districts—Chikwawa, Nsanje and Phalombe.

• At least 15 of country’s 28 districts are affected.

• 79 deaths have been reported.

• At least 153 people missing in Nsanje District.

• 181 Schools occupied by displaced people (Reports from District Education Managers 26 .01.15)

• An estimated 116,000 households have lost their crops and livestock.

• More than 63,000 hectares of land is submerged under floodwater, including 35,000 hectares of cropland.

• A state of emergency has been declared for 15 of Malawi’s 28 districts.

• Floods have destroyed thousands of homes, washing away scores of livestock, and submerging hundreds of hectares of crops, a senior official said.

• Untold numbers of goats and chickens have perished where waters rose with unexpected speed, raising the risk of livestock disease outbreaks.

FIRE-EARTH Models show that Malawi is facing its worst ever flooding.

Related Links

• Malawi Floods Devastate Half the Country January 17, 2015
• Disaster Declared as Deadly Floods Swamp Third of Malawi January 14, 2015
• Thousands Displaced by Deadly Floods in Malawi January 11, 2015

Malawi Floods Devastate Half the Country

500 Dead or missing, ¼ million displaced in Malawi floods

Malawi floods are a “national tragedy that urgently needs both local and international response,” the president has said.

The floods have devastated half the the country’s 28 districts, destroying thousands of homes, washing away scores of livestock, and submerging hundreds of hectares of crops, a senior official said.

Last week, the Malawi president declared more than a third of the country disaster areas, as torrential rains inundated large swathes of land, destroying crops, homes, roads, railroads and other infrastructure.

“I flew over some parts of the Lower Shire but we could not find anywhere to land,” said the country’s vice president. “It’s a big challenge we have before us.”

“Most of Nsanje and East Bank are submerged under two to three meters of water, which has transformed these vast plains into a giant lake engulfing houses and bridges,” said Doctors Without Borders’ mission head in Malawi’s south, AP reported.

“Sanitation will be compromised now with waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid likely to occur,” said Malawi’s health ministry spokesman.

“Sanitation will be compromised now with waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid likely to occur.”

Death and devastation in Mozambique

Malawi shares a river system with neighboring Mozambique, where floods have displaced up to 20,000 families, killing at least 52 people.

Related Links

• Disaster Declared as Deadly Floods Swamp Third of Malawi January 14, 2015
• Thousands Displaced by Deadly Floods in Malawi January 11, 2015

Humanitarian Crisis in Malawi Caused by Drought and Deluge

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,133 Days Left 

[February 3, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,133 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 …

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Drought and deluge leave 4 million Malawians food insecure

Mega drought and deluge have left about 4 million people food insecure and children at a high risk of malnutrition and disease across Malawi (population: ~ 15 million).  Severe flooding, triggered by extreme rain events, has destroyed homes,  crops, roads and any semblance of public infrastructure.

• Flooding has displaced tens of thousands of people leaving them without food, shelter, clothing or medical supplies in the landlocked country in southeast Africa.

• The flooding has also compromised access to safe water, sanitation and overall hygiene in the affected communities, said UNICEF.

• “A continuing food crisis in Malawi afflicts more than 4 million people – and more than a million of them are children under age five or pregnant women. Food insecurity is not only a major cause of malnutrition, but has also worsened the risk for diseases.”

• “We remain on high alert as the flooding spreads to other areas,” said the UNICEF Country Representative in Malawi.

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
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• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

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• Back to the Primordial Future
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• Mass Die-offs