Malawi: Tropical Cyclone Freddy - Flash Update No. 11 (31 March 2023)

HIGHLIGHTS

• The death toll from the passage of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system in Malawi has risen to 676 and is likely to increase in the days ahead as hopes of locating at least 537 people still missing fade, according to authorities.

• Access to nutritious food has been compromised, which could accelerate malnutrition at a time when children and pregnant and lactating women were already at risk due to previous shocks.

• Air operations are ongoing to reach isolated areas, with a second helicopter from the World Food Programme arriving on 30 March.

• Humanitarian partners have developed a Flash Appeal, which calls for US$70.6 million in support of the Government-led emergency response plan.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The passage of the Tropical Cyclone Freddy weather system brought strong winds, mudslides and landslides to 15 districts in southern Malawi from 12 March, leading to death, displacement, destruction, and reduced or severed access by communities to essential services, including health care and education.

The official death toll has now risen to 676, and is expected to increase in the days ahead, with the Government of Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) reporting that after 17 days of searching, chances of finding the missing persons alive are slim. The number of people displaced by the disaster grew to 659,278 in 747 camps, including 336,252 women and 323,026 men, according to preliminary figures from the inter-agency assessment report overseen by DoDMA. However, these figures are expected to reduce in the days ahead as those who are able begin to return home. The Government is also working to consolidate displacement sites, with a particular emphasis on moving people from schools, to enable classes to reopen. Advocacy by humanitarian partners is ongoing to promote safe, dignified, voluntary and informed movement of displaced people.

Children’s education has been interrupted, with schools being used as displacement sites or destroyed or damaged by Freddy’s passage. Over 738,200 children (724,811 in primary schools and 13,458 in secondary schools) were unable to attend lessons after the closure of their schools and an additional 217,012 children have had their schools damaged, destroyed, used as displacement sites or inaccessible due to flooding.

The passage of Tropical Cyclone Freddy affected access to nutritious food for 577,525 people, according to the preliminary assessment findings. There are concerns regarding a possible increase in malnutrition, including due to disruption of household food security child feeding practices, environmental health and access to health services. This comes at a time when an estimated 213,259 children under age 5 were projected to experience acute malnutrition in Malawi in 2023, including more than 62,000 who were expected to be severely malnourished, according to UNICEF. The adverse conditions due to Freddy may also worsen the already existing nutrition gaps for people with chronic diseases, including HIV.

Health services have been significantly affected by Freddy, with at least 83 health facilities damaged or destroyed. In addition, the inability to adhere to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV, risk of malnutrition, opportunistic infection and disease outbreaks may lead to an increase morbidity and mortality in the aftermath of the storm, according to the Ministry of Health.