Malawi Requests Assistance From Outside After A “Tragedy” Storm Claims 225 Lives.

Lazarus Chakwera, the president of Malawi, made a plea for assistance from the international community on Wednesday while touring regions devastated by Cyclone Freddy.

 

As Freddy struck Malawi and neighboring Mozambique, causing floods and landslides that claimed over 250 lives, rescuers raced to find survivors in the commercial center of Blantyre.

 

After an 8,000 km (5,000 mi) journey during which it traversed the Indian Ocean, changed course to impact Africa again, and established an unofficial record for the world’s longest tropical storm, the cyclone eventually began to weaken.

 

During a burial service for some of the fatalities in the Blantyre suburb of Chilobwe, Chakwera made a request for further relief from foreign partners and donors.

 

We are all impacted by this national tragedy, according to the speaker.

 

There were 21 coffins lined up beneath a tent at the elementary school where the memorial ceremony was conducted. Several of the coffins had modest wreaths on them.

 

As he comforted the grieving, a somber-looking Chakwera in rubber boots and a raincoat promised that the authorities would increase their search for the missing.

 

After days of heavy rain, the storm was anticipated to fade, but localized thunderstorms will continue, according to Malawian forecasts.

 

In several regions, flood levels remained high, impeding rescue operations.

 

Some have been rescued from roofs and trees, but Felix Washon, a spokesperson for the Red Cross in Malawi, told AFP that getting to them is difficult because of the high water and damaged bridges.

 

This past weekend, Freddy made his second trip in less than three weeks back to southeast Africa, leaving a path of devastation and death in his wake.

 

According to official statistics, it left at least 225 people dead in Malawi, hundreds of others injured, and 41 people missing.

 

The neighboring country of Mozambique has thus far confirmed 21 fatalities, and more were anticipated there.

 

As he met with the public for his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis prayed for the victims.

 

Search and rescue efforts were being led by the army and police, and the Red Cross estimated that they would last at least another two days.

 

Landslides that washed away flimsy dwellings constructed on hillsides claimed the lives of several individuals.

 

Alabu Wiseman, 24, spoke from a Blantyre school that was being used as a temporary refuge. “Four individuals from my family are still missing since they are buried in the mud,” he added.

 

In 165 temporary camps around the nation, more than 88,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

 

A minimum of 12 clinics were cut off because to flooding or ruined roadways.

 

Several others criticized the administration for providing aid slowly.

 

Fadila Njolomole, 19, said, “We feel abandoned.

 

“My dearest friend, her sister, mother, and her siblings all perished in the mudslide, but their corpses have not yet been located. It’s disastrous. You cannot even be sad.

 

After the assault, Blantyre’s marketplaces and stores started to reopen.

 

A 27-year-old minibus driver who was on his way to work at a nearby bus yard told AFP, “I have two little girls to feed.

 

A mudslide in Chilobwe took away several homes, including his.

 

We need to reconstruct our life, and the first step is to pick up the little pieces, according to Chitumba.

 

The deadly cholera epidemic, which has claimed over 1,600 lives since last year, is already a problem in the poor nation.

 

Cyclone Freddy, a record-breaker, struck the island nation of Malawi early on Monday after rushing across Mozambique over the weekend.

 

The storm has unofficially surpassed the WMO record for the longest-lasting tropical cyclone, which was established in 1994 with a storm by the name of John that lasted 31 days.

 

On February 6, Freddy was given a name. It made landfall in Madagascar on February 21 and swept over the island before making its way to Mozambique on February 24.

 

But, after returning to the Indian Ocean and gathering additional strength over the warm seas, it changed direction and came back considerably stronger with wind gusts of up to 200 kph (125 mph).

 

The last time a cyclone crossed the whole Indian Ocean was in 2000, according to meteorologists.