Bleak Days in Malawi

Cyclone Freddy has been wreaking havoc on the southern African coastline since the beginning of this month.

For the last few days, heavy rains, floods, and mudslides have been the nightmare of the people of Blantyre, Malawi.

Over 350,000 people have been displaced and over 40000 homes destroyed including roads, hospitals, and schools and over 400 people have lost their lives.

The displaced have been seeking shelter in camps and schools being run by the Red Cross Society, with one school holding about 5000 people. The classrooms are overcrowded and feeding is a problem due to the large number of displaced people in need of help.

Reporting from Blantyre for BBC News Africa, Rhoda Odhiambo says that some of those rocks that destroyed the houses are four times her size. She adds that some people have been separated from their relatives and are still hoping to be reunited as they await to be relocated to other areas.

Cyclone Freddy has caused devastating effects in Malawi and changed the lives of the residents in ways that will take them years to recover from. From being awoken in the middle of the night because their weak make-shift houses can’t withstand the flow of the flooding water to those who woke up in hospitals, injured and disoriented, without an idea of how they got there and not knowing where their family members are, these are just some of the trauma these residents are grappling with.

While the young ones have little knowledge of what the cyclone has caused and how their lives have changed, the older kids and adults can only hope that they survive this and that they can get back to their lives.

Currently, the country is observing 14 days of mourning for those who have lost their lives, the torn families, and damaged properties.