Malawi: Tropical Cyclone Freddy - Flash Update No. 6 (21 March 2023)

HIGHLIGHTS

• New cholera cases have been confirmed in several floodaffected districts, including Balaka, Blantyre, Machinga,
  Mangochi, Mulanje, Nsanje, Thyolo and Zomba.

• The death toll has risen to 499, with at least 427 people still missing, and over 508,200 people have been displaced in more than 530 sites, according to authorities on 20 March.

• The price of maize has risen 75 per cent in Nsanje since the floods began, and many marketplaces remain inaccessible or are lacking essential supplies, according to the World Food Programme.

• More Member States have contributed to the response, in solidarity with the people of Malawi.

HIGHLIGHTS

The number of people displaced, killed and missing following the passage of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system continues to increase as more information becomes available. There are now at least 508,244 people displaced in 534 sites as of 20 March, according to Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA). At least 499 deaths have been reported, while 427 people remain unaccounted and at least 841 are injured. Blantyre and Mulanje have reported the highest number of deaths at 212 and 143 people respectively.

The Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system hit Malawi as it was still battling it deadliest cholera outbreak in the past two decades. The outbreak, which started in March 2022, has affected all 29 districts in Malawi, and new cases have been recorded in flood-affected districts, including Balaka, Blantyre, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje,
Nsanje, Thyolo and Zomba , according to the Ministry of Health on 20 March. In addition to heightening the risk of cholera, the Ministry of Health has warned that the passage of Freddy has increased the risk of spread of other communicable diseases such as dysentery, typhoid and diarrhoea. The floods have washed away toilets, destroyed or contaminated community wells and damaged urban water supply networks. Most people in the displacement sites have no access to safe drinking water.

Many people are lacking access to primary health-care services. A total of 81 health facilities have been affected, including 74 that are functional but not accessible and 7 health centres where services are suspended. Access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls has also been compromised. In Chikwawa, for example, Nchalo Hunger Hospital, which serves over 60,000 people, has been closed for six days due to floods, according to WHO.

Many marketplaces remain inaccessible or do not have sufficient food stocks, while prices across the Southern Region have on average increased by 300 per cent compared to the same time last year, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). In Nsanje district, the price of maize has reached a record high of MK 1,140 (US$ 1.1), which is 400 per cent higher than the same time last year and 75 per cent higher than a month before Freddy. The floods have also caused widespread damage to farm fields, with an estimated area of 34,500 hectares of crops land washed away.