(Blantyre) Cyclone Freddy, with record longevity and which has struck twice in southern Africa, continues to wreak havoc in Malawi, with the latest report on Tuesday reporting at least 190 deaths in the poor and landlocked country.
After making landfall for the second time over the weekend in Mozambique, killing at least 10 people, Freddy headed into the early hours of Monday for southern neighboring Malawi. A state of disaster has been declared in the region of Blantyre, the economic capital epicenter of the disaster.
The country which has so far paid the heaviest price for the return of the tropical cyclone, which has followed a looping path rarely recorded by meteorologists, now has at least “190 dead, 584 injured and 37 missing”, announced in a press release the National Disaster Management Office.
A previous report the day before reported 99 dead and it could increase further as the research, still in progress, progresses.
In the township of Chilobwe, near Blantyre, stunned residents stood frozen in front of the remains of houses washed away by the mudslides. The wind has died down, but the rain continues to pour down.
“We are helpless and no one is there to help us,” said 80-year-old John Witman, drenched despite a raincoat and woolen hat. He is looking for his son-in-law, who disappeared when his house collapsed, swept away by the sudden rising waters.
Residents say they believe dozens of bodies are still there, buried in the mud. Excavators have been deployed in some places. The day before, families and rescuers searched the ground with their bare hands in the pouring rain.
The hospital in the region is “overwhelmed by the influx of wounded”, warned in a press release Doctors Without Borders, present on the spot. “The Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital alone received 220 people, including 42 adults and 43 children who were declared dead on arrival.” The NGO fears in particular a resurgence of cholera.
A few miles away, in Chimkwankhunda, Steve Panganani Matera points to a huge field of dripping mud: “There were plenty of houses here, they’re all gone,” he says, sheltered under a flimsy umbrella.
Under a heavy sky, some try to pass the maroon waters which break from the top of the hills. They stagger on makeshift bridges made of two planks thrown between the scree.
Nearly 20,000 people in the country have been affected by the weather, according to the UN.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that he was “saddened by the loss of life”.
Freddy first hit southern Africa at the end of February. After an unprecedented crossing of more than 10,000 km from east to west in the Indian Ocean, it had made landfall in Madagascar before hitting Mozambique. The death toll was then 17.
Recharging in intensity and humidity over warm seas, with winds in excess of 220 km/h, Freddy then turned around, returning to swoop down on southern Africa two weeks later. He killed 10 last week while returning to Madagascar.
“It’s very rare for these cyclones to feed again and again,” said Coleen Vogel, a climate expert at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, blaming climate change.
Freddy formed off Australia in early February and has been plaguing the Indian Ocean for 36 days. Tropical Cyclone John lasted 31 days in 1994.
The southwest Indian Ocean is crossed by tropical storms and cyclones several times a year during the hurricane season which extends from November to April.
