Tropical Cyclone Jude has brought devastation to various parts of Malawi, with preliminary reports indicating that over 3,600 people have been affected across eight councils.
In a statement, Charles Kalemba, commissioner for disaster management affairs at the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) councils impacted include Mulanje, Chikwawa, Thyolo, Zomba City, Phalombe, Neno, Mwanza, and Mangochi.
Kalemba says in Nsanje, three people are missing after a canoe capsized in Ruo River, and rescue operations are underway. Houses have also been submerged due to flooding in the Nyamadzere River.
The Nsanje District Council is currently assessing the extent of the damage.
Mangochi has reported 1,421 displaced people in TA Chowe and Sub TA Moto, with four camps set up to provide shelter.
In Mwanza, two children, aged five and eight, have sustained serious injuries due to a house wall collapse and are receiving medical attention at Queen Elizabeth Central and Mwanza District Hospitals respectively.
Neno has experienced three consecutive days without electricity due to collapsed electric poles, affecting 91 households and approximately 410 people. The district council has also reported that most roads have been rendered impassable.
It is also reported that the Phalombe, the National Search and Rescue team has been deployed to provide life-saving interventions following reports of flooding in TA Mkhumba.
Two temporary bridges at Ruo River have been washed away, and a total of 25 households, approximately 112 people, have been affected in TA Chiwalo.
Other affected areas include Thyolo, where 849 people have been affected in TA Nsabwe and Bvumbwe; Chikwawa, where three houses have collapsed in TA Mulilima; and Zomba City, where 19 households, approximately 86 people, have been affected.
Meanwhile, DoDMA has dispatched relief items to affected households in Mulanje and is making arrangements to assist in all affected areas based on verified reports from councils. The general public will be kept informed on any developments regarding Cyclone Jude.
