In the past two weeks, Malawi has been hit with flash floods as a result from Tropical Cyclone Idai. There were two waves of flash floods due to the cyclone leaving many casualties in its’ wake. All AHA employees are safe and uninjured. Some of our Malawian staff has suffered house and property damages that were able to be fixed.
Most of the impact was in the southern region, where houses were washed away, roads and bridges collapsed and lives were lost. The effects of the flooding in Kabudula community were minimal compared to other regions and communities that were devastated. As with any unforeseen circumstance, even minor incidences such as this cause families to suffer because they are already struggling to survive financially, many times depending on one person’s income to support extended family.
Similarly, when someone falls sick in a family and needs surgery, it takes everything the family has just to get them to the hospital for help. Even if they do manage to get there, they often find the public hospital is under-resourced. Private hospitals have more resources but are unaffordable for village residents. This is where our organization comes in, to support the public hospital to be better resourced to handle day to day activities, provide care to hard to reach patients and support when unforeseen events occur.
The cyclone has affected Mozambique and Zimbabwe also, with a death toll climbing close to 1,000. Our partner organization, World Altering Medicine, often helps Mozambican residents receive surgery at Nkhoma Private Hospital through the Watsi program.
News updates of Cyclone Idai can be found via all major news outlets.