SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the crisis
In January 2022, the Tropical Storm Ana weather system brought destruction and damage to most parts of the country especially within the southern region. The impact of tropical storm Ana brought subsequent flooding and resulted in an estimated 945,728 people needing humanitarian assistance and protection. Initially, and as of 8 February 2022, the Government of Malawi estimated that 46 people were reported dead, 18 missing, 206 injured and 221,127 households (more than 945,728 people) were affected. Swollen rivers drowned livestock and submerged fields destroying the livelihoods of rural families. At least 115,388 hectares of crops were destroyed. Over 228 schools had their blocks destroyed rendering over 114,218 learners without learning materials and facilities. Furthermore, access to some of the affected areas remained a big challenge as many of the roads were damaged and to date, some remain in bad condition. The displaced populations over 67,800 households were relocated to 217 camps in Chikwawa, Zomba, Phalombe, Mulanje, Nneno, Mangochi, and Nsanje districts. Government embarked on a process of decommissioning camps after a joint monitoring visit to the camps during the month of April 2022. The monitoring visit indicated that most of the camps were decommissioned in some affected districts except in Nsanje and Chikwawa where about 1200 households are still in camps waiting to relocate to other new places.
Due to the magnitude of the impact, most vulnerable people are still struggling to recover from this shock although a smaller number of the affected households have managed to relocate to higher and safe areas. The intensity of the impact has been aggravated by outbreak of Polio, Cholera, and continued risk of COVID 19 across the country.
Meanwhile the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS) has forecasted that during the 2022/23 rain season, the country will receive normal to above normal rainfall. Normal to above normal rainfall is associated with heavy flooding across many areas in the country acerbating the vulnerability of the people who were affected and are still recovering. The MRCS team is in the process of putting in place contingency plans at national and district level to make sure that any eventuality is handled in a proactive manner to avoid being caught unawares.
Summary of response
Overview of the host National Society and ongoing response
MRCS was established by ACT 51 of 1966 Parliament as an auxiliary to Government of Malawi. The National Society is a volunteer- based organization, which has 33 Divisions (Administrative Structures) and a network of more than 76,000 volunteers and 372 staff present in all the 28 districts of Malawi. Following the disaster, the Government of Malawi declared a State of National Disaster and called for support from various organizations. It was against this background that Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) through the International Federation of the Red Cross Societies (IFRC) launched an Appeal which helped to mobilize funds through various partners including the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) itself, Danish Red Cross consortium and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) through the International Office of Migration (IOM), Kuwait Red Crescent and other individual well-wishers to support the people affected.
The Appeal therefore seeks to continue supporting the immediate humanitarian needs of the affected population targeting 160,000 people (32,000 households) that were directly affected by the storm in the four districts of Salima,
Phalombe, Nsanje and Chikwawa in Malawi for a period of 18 months (01/03/2022 to 30/06/2023). The response which focused on the immediate needs of families displaced and hosted in camps has now started to support early recovery interventions by assisting the affected to return to their homes and start to rebuild their houses and livelihoods.
Key achievements include:
• Provision of unconditional cash transfer to 6,141 households with each receiving an average of CHF 72 (Mk80, 000) supported 500 households with cash for shelter to enable them to reconstruct their damaged houses
• Provided NFIs to 7,465 households
• rehabilitated 63 boreholes
• De-sludge over 235 latrines in schools which were used as safe havens.
The operation continues to undertake additional Cash Transfers, construction of Transitional Shelter, rehabilitation and drilling of more boreholes, provision of small-scale livestock such as goats as part of their early recovery interventions with much focus on households embarked in voluntary relocation.
Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies