UPDATE - Malawi declares state of disaster after tropical storm kills 19

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Moses Michael-Phiri

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AA) - Malawi’s president on Thursday declared a state of disaster in the country’s south where a tropical storm left 19 people dead.

Lazarus Chakwera extended condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives in flood-related incidents.

“Let me assure those affected that the government through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) and humanitarian partners has already started providing assistance to the affected people,” Chakwera said.

He also appealed for help from both local and international donors.

“Since most of the areas are inaccessible and considering the large number of displaced households, additional resources are required to provide assistance to all the affected people,” he said.

Earlier, the disaster management department said some 216,972 people have become homeless and 107 were injured as tropical storm Ana hit the southern part of the country.

The southeast African nation of over 20 million people also plunged into darkness after floods damaged part of the country’s main hydropower plant, forcing it to shut down.

Water pumping stations into cities have stopped working due to the lack of power, resulting in water shortages in all major cities.

The Ministry of Education temporarily suspended classes at all public schools in the southern region to protect the lives of students in the affected areas.

The storm, which made landfall in northern Mozambique on Monday, brought widespread flooding and is estimated to have destroyed almost 600,000 hectares (1.48 million acres) of agriculture crops, especially in Malawi’s southern districts.

Heavy damage has also been caused to infrastructure such as roads, bridges and buildings.

Disaster and Management Affairs Commissioner Charles Kalemba said they have deployed a search and rescue team comprising the defense force, police, and the Department of Marine Services.

“They will have to assist the Malawi Red Cross Society in rescuing people feared to be trapped,” Kalemba said in a statement.

Malawi is one of the developing countries bearing the brunt of climate change, which has made weather-related disasters more frequent.

In 2009, Cyclone Ida killed 59 and affected 900,000 people in the country.