Hope Fades For Rescuing 500 Missing Malawi Cyclone Victims

By Mukidi Hannington

Authorities in Malawi say optimism for the 500 people still missing two weeks after Cyclone Freddy slammed the nation has all but vanished.

According to disaster management experts, the nation will now concentrate on repairing infrastructure devastated by the hurricane.

The search and rescue team has stopped operations in several regions, including Chiradzulu, where the government employed excavators to dig through the muddy debris, according to Charles Kalemba, commissioner for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.

But, Kalemba said that the search team, which includes police and military personnel, is still working in two more mudslide-affected areas, Phalombe and Mulanje.

“At this point… the work they’ve done, even with smelling dogs, the odds of their being located are pretty tiny,” Kalemba added. “But, we have a procedure in place where we would deem the missing [people] to have been passed on.”

In southern Malawi, the storm killed at least 676 people and displaced over 650,000 others. The storm, which also impacted Mozambique and Madagascar, devastated several bridges and highways in Malawi, limiting access to many places to boats and planes.

According to Kalemba, the government has begun road restoration with the assistance of military engineers from Malawi and Tanzania. Maj Gen Saiford Kalisha, the Malawi defense force’s commander of military operations and training, told reporters that the cut-off districts would be accessible by road in four weeks.

The typhoon has also fueled worries of a food scarcity in the impacted regions. According to the Directorate of Disaster Management Affairs, over 2.3 million people in southern Malawi have lost crops and cattle.

President Lazarus Chakwera stated on Wednesday during a televised prayer hosted by the Evangelical Association of Malawi that Malawians should not lose hope but instead turn to God.

“Because there can be no hope if you know there is no one to call on,” Chakwera said. “Too many of us are losing it because our hearts are failing us, because of dread.” “But, we must recognize that there is a greater force that loves each of us and our country, and who offers hope when there seems to be none.”

Meanwhile, the Malawi government has proposed major revisions to its national budget for 2023-2024 in response to the cyclone’s impact. For example, the government has set aside funds to acquire two airplanes to aid in search and rescue efforts during calamities.