Floods Leave Thousands Homeless
ZOMBA, Malawi - The rains of terror which have hit the Southern region of Malawi from the 4th day of March this year have caused havoc to lives of people and loss of properties.
According to Fr. Joseph Kuudzala, SMM, the assistant Parish Priest of St. Joseph Sitima Parish in Zomba diocese, the people around the parish have been seriously affected.
“80 houses around Sitima parish are estimated to have collapsed and people have been forced to seek shelter in church and school buildings. An entire village has been affected and 160 families are seeking shelter in one of our churches at Admarc area. Moreover, an estimate of 50 families at Chisi Island are living in our only church there.” lamented Fr. Joseph.
Apart from the numerous collapsed houses and loss of household properties due to heavy rains, maize and rice fields have been washed away creating a prolonged food insecurity situation.
During a recent visit to Chisi Island and Admarc on the 17th and 19th of March respectively, Fr. Joseph said that while some families have gone back to their temporary shelters in their homes, many are still in the church and school buildings in dire need of assistance.
Meanwhile, the Superior of Africa Anglophone General Delegation, Fr. Paul Mashonga, SMM appealed for humanitarian support and asked the confreres to open the door for the floods victims.
“A lot of people, including the relatives of our confreres and the Christians we serve in our respective parishes are in pathetic situation needing help. They need support to be taken out of this catastrophic condition which requires short-term and long-term strategic approaches. To our confreres, let us spare our time in the communities as we pray for the affected families and do what we can at our reach to ‘Open the door for Jesus’ as our founder St. Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort reminds us.” he stated in the Africa Anglophone Delegation Statement on Flash Floods in Malawi.
According to the recent report, more than 900,000 people in 14 districts in Malawi are still in need of humanitarian assistance.
Fr. Joseph Kuudzala, SMM
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