Malawi Wire – Page 1579 – News from Malawi

February 1, 2022

Population potentially exposed to floods in Malawi as of 26 & 31 January 2022

This map illustrates population potentially exposed to floods (cumulative) aggregated by district in Malawi from Sentinel-1 images acquired on 26 Jan 2022 at 05:15 local time and acquired on 31 Jan 2022 at 05:23 local time, using an automated analysis with Artificial Intelligence based methods, and Worldpop spatial demographic data. About 78,400 people were exposed or living close to flooded areas.

The population potentially exposed to floods are mainly located in the districts of Chikwawa with ~ 33,000 people and Nsanje with ~14,000 people.

This is a preliminary analysis and has not yet been validated in the field. Please send ground feedback to United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).

Important note: Flood analysis from radar images may underestimate the presence of standing waters in built-up areas and densely vegetated areas due to backscattering properties of the radar signal.

Source: International Charter Space and Major Disasters

February 1, 2022

Malawi: Cyclone Ana Response Snapshot (29th – 31st January 2022)

In response to Cyclone Ana, DoDMA activated and deployed the search and rescue team to Chikwawa, Nsanje, Mulanje and Phalombe districts where boats were dispatched to conduct search and rescue operations in the areas that were cut-off.

The Department has also set up an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) at Blantyre District Council offices where government officers and partners are operating from as they respond to tropical storm Ana. Transportation of relief supplies and humanitarian workers to the affected areas especially in Chikwawa and Nsanje districts has been a challenge due to the cut-off of M1 road between Blantyre and Nsanje districts. Currently, there is no movement of vehicles to and from Blantyre-chikwawa and Nsanje. The lack of organized camps, the disruption of social services, the loss of electricity, and the absence of proper disaggregated data have also hindered the provision of relief to those in need. Despite the ongoing response, food and shelter needs continue to be the most pressing needs as the current supply of relief items proves to be insufficient.

Source: Government of Malawi

February 1, 2022

Cyclone Ana kills at least 20 in Malawi

THE death toll from Tropical Storm Ana in Malawi has risen to 20.

Over 400 000 people have been left stranded after their homes were destroyed or damaged by floods which swept through the south of the country.

The scale of the storm’s impact is expected to rise in the coming days as relief workers reach villages currently cut off by floodwaters and collapsed roads and bridges.

An estimated 70 000 people are currently sheltering in churches and schools.

A search and rescue operation is underway for people reported to be cut off by floodwaters, with the Malawi defence forces providing boats and aircraft.

“The high winds ripped roofs off homes and blew down walls,” Concern’s Country Director, Yousaf Jogezai, said.

The official said in other cases, structures collapsed as a result of the heavy rainfall.

The heavy rains would also damage the maize harvest – a key element of the staple diet in Malawi – and result in food insecurity in the coming months.

Concern’s team is on the ground, distributing plastic sheeting, mosquito nets, blankets, soap and essential household items.

The World Bank lists Malawi amongst the top ten nations to be worst affected by climate change and is experiencing extreme weather.

The Southern African country was already facing difficulties due to drought conditions in recent months.

Source: CAJ News Agency

January 31, 2022

Military to Aid Outback Town Cut Off by Australian Floods

The Australian air force is preparing to deliver 20 tons of emergency supplies to remote communities cut off by flood waters. Traffic has been disrupted on the main highway and railway between Adelaide in South Australia and Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory.

Heavy rain and storms in recent days have damaged freight routes in South Australia.

A 14-day major emergency was declared Friday by state authorities. It gives the police special powers to ensure food reaches isolated communities.

South Australia has a population of 1.7 million who are already under a major emergency declaration for COVID-19. The state was also badly impacted by the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, although the floods have occurred away from the areas worst-hit by the fires.

The area is expected to receive yet more rain, with up to 200 millimeters forecast in the coming days.

A military plane is scheduled to land Monday in the outback settlement of Coober Pedy to deliver food and other essentials.

The town is 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway and is known as the “opal capital of the world” because of its mining resources. The impact on mining and farming might not be known for days.

Tim Jackson, the administrator of the Coober Pedy Council, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the arrival of supplies would ease community concerns.

“People are pretty relaxed generally speaking, I think, and particularly now that they know there is a significant food drop being made today. It is just a bit frustrating. It is just the unknown about when the highway is going to be opened again. (I) understand that it is the first time both the rail and road have been impacted simultaneously,” Jackson said.

Flooding in South Australia and the disruption to freight routes have led to shortages on supermarket shelves in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Higher-than-average rainfall this summer is associated with a La Niña weather system, which can also produce a higher-than-normal number of tropical cyclones.

The naturally occurring system develops when strong winds move the warm surface waters of the Pacific Ocean from South America towards Indonesia.

In Australia, the La Niña system increases the likelihood of cooler daytime temperatures, reducing the risk of bushfires and heatwaves.

Conservationists are warning that the impact of climate change will increase the incidence and intensity of “extreme rainfall events” in Australia. They have said that the risks of flooding are exacerbated when the atmosphere is “made warmer and wetter by climate change.”

Source: Voice of America

January 31, 2022

US FDA Gives Full Approval to Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ((FDA)) Monday gave full approval to U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which will be marketed under the name Spikevax.

The vaccine has been widely distributed in the United States and around the world under the FDA’s emergency use authorization since December of 2020. It is the second COVID-19 vaccine the agency has fully approved, after Pfizer’s vaccine received the designation in August of 2021.

In a statement, acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said full authorization of the vaccine is an important step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that while hundreds of millions of doses of the Moderna shot have been administered under the emergency use authorization, she understands “for some individuals, FDA approval of this vaccine may instill additional confidence in making the decision to get vaccinated.”

Woodcock said the public can be assured that the Moderna vaccine “meets the FDA’s high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality required of any vaccine approved for use in the United States.”

The Moderna vaccine has been approved for use in more than 70 countries including Britain, Canada, Japan and those in the European Union.

Source: Voice of America

January 31, 2022

At least 32 killed after Tropical Cyclone Ana sweeps across Malawi

Malawi has recorded at least 32 deaths caused by the Tropical Cyclone Ana which tore across the country on Tuesday, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) said in a statement Sunday.

“As of today, DoDMA has recorded 32 deaths, 147 injuries and 20 missing persons, with 19 in Chikwawa and one in Mwanza,” it said, adding that “a total of 187,930 households, approximately 845,685 people, have been affected.”

Chikwawa and Nsanje are the country’s worst-hit districts, accounting for most of the deaths and damage to houses, property, livestock and crops caused by floods and strong winds induced by Ana. The country’s power supply has also been disrupted.

Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera on Wednesday declared a state of disaster in 15 districts, and appealed for humanitarian assistance from the international community.

Following the appeal, several organizations including Concern Worldwide, Malawi Red Cross Society, Partners in Health, Feed the Children, and Gift of the Givers have provided relief assistance for the country, according to DoDMA’s Sunday update.

Meanwhile, DoDMA has dispatched over 1,000 metric tons of maize, maize flour, beans and salt to support the affected people living in temporary camps. Search and resue operations are also underway.

Meanwhile, some other southern African countries have also been hit by the cyclone, with landfall in Angoche, Mozambique, and other destructions in Madagascar and Zimbabwe, the South African Weather Service said in a press release.

Nathan Nkomo, director of Zimbabwe’s department of civil protection, told the Sunday Mail newspaper that the cyclone had left a trail of destruction in 13 districts of four provinces but caused no fatalities.

“The latest update shows that Ana directly affected all Mashonaland provinces and Manicaland … There are over 282 houses and buildings that were damaged,” he was quoted as saying.

Source: Nam News Network