Attachments
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the crisis
Malawi has been affected by significant floods since the start of the 2021-22 rainy season in December 2021. The IFRC launched a DREF on 9 December 2021 in support of MRCS to respond to excessive flooding in Salima District. With continued heavy seasonal rains, the flooding spread and the IFRC made a second allocation from the DREF for MRCS to scale up their response in the two new districts of Nsanje and Chikwawa.
On 24 January Southern and Central Districts were lashed by Tropical Storm Ana bringing further severe flooding which exacerbated the already difficult situation for thousands of families, causing significant damage to homes, livelihoods, social and public infrastructure, and displacement. Within two months on 11 February a second Tropical Tropical Storm, again brought heavy rainfall to Southern Malawi resulting in further flooding, bringing more damage, and in some cases causing the secondary displacement of families in camps.
This combination of flooding due to seasonal rains and consecutive storms has left a trail of destruction and displacement. Emergency support has come to those families in camps, but the needs still outstrip the capacity and more support is needed. The situation in camps remains poor, with restricted access to safe water, poor hygiene and sanitation, and reduced access to basic health care, which has increased the risks to already vulnerable families. Living conditions in the camps in the aftermath of Tropical Storms Ana and Gombe remain extremely precarious and are conducive to the spread of communicable diseases including Cholera with the first cases reported in the District of Nsanje by mid-February. The Malawi rainy season runs from November to April and cyclones forming in the Indian Ocean impacting the same areas are still possible during this season.
Covid-19 and an outbreak of wild poliovirus in Lilongwe district, the first such case in the country in 30 years, reported on 17 February compound the severity of the situation. The Ministry of Health reported a confirmed case of Type 1 wild poliovirus (WPV1) in Lilongwe district, Malawi on 17 February 2022. To respond to the polio outbreak in support of the Government on 7 March 2022 the IFRC launched a DREF to support MRCS.
Tropical Storm Ana
Tropical Storm Ana lashed the Southern and Central Districts of Malawi from Monday 24 January, bringing strong winds and heavy rains. In a matter of hours, communities were being washed out by significant floods. Some of the areas affected by Ana were already suffering from floods due to the ongoing rainy season. As of 8 February, the Government of Malawi – Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), 46 people have been reported dead, 18 missing and 206 injured, 221,127 households affected (more than 945,728 people. Swollen rivers drowned livestock and submerged fields), destroying the livelihoods of rural families.
It’s reported that at least 115,388 hectares of crops have been destroyed. Over 228 schools had their blocks destroyed rendering over 114,218 learners without learning facilities. Access to some of the affected areas remains a challenge as many of the roads are still in bad condition. More than 190,429 people (32,935 households) have been displaced by the floods and are staying in 178 displacement sites. Households displaced are currently seeking refuge in designated camps, churches, schools, and other public structures.
Tropical Storm Gombe
The already dire humanitarian situation has deteriorated further with the impact of Tropical Storm Gombe, which brought high rainfall to Southern Malawi on 11-14 February, hitting districts that had already been affected by Tropical Storm Ana. Rapid needs assessments are currently being conducted, but so far 7 persons have been reported dead as a result of the torrential rains and subsequent flooding, which has occurred in Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Machinga, and Mangochi districts. The rains have also damaged civil infrastructure, with the main national M1 being affected, and houses have been washed away or been rendered inhabitable. In the aftermath of the storm, a cholera outbreak was reported in the Nsanje district, linked to an ongoing outbreak in neighboring Mozambique. The total number of cases as of 21 March was 22 with two individuals reported dead.