Chilima drums support for Lilongwe rainstorm victims Vice President Saulos Chilima, Saturday appealed for support for the families who were left homeless following heavy and stormy rains that fell on Friday night in Lilongwe. Chilima, visited some of the affected homes and institutions – or what remained of them – in the locations of Ngomani and Kauma where he expressed government’s concern regarding the tragedy which, apart from leaving hundreds homeless, claimed life of ten-year-old girl in Kauma location. The Vice President paid tribute and condoled the bereaved family where he learnt that the girl, was electrocuted to death by a live overhead wire that had snapped and hang loose following the stormy rains. “This is a very sad development,” Chilima, visibly shaken, told journalists. “President Professor Peter Mutharika and government are very concerned with what has happened and we are currently working tirelessly to assess the extent of the damage and ascertain what immediate assistance these people need.” He described the demise of the ten-year-old girl as a great loss not only to the family but to the nation as a whole. The Veep said through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, government was working with its partners such as the WFP, UNFPA and Malawi Red Cross to immediately mobilize relief items to the affected families. “By close of the day today we will have assessed the damage and the needed assistance and tomorrow (Sunday) we will move in with some of the items such as food, plastic sheeting and by Monday we will ensure that those affected families are supplied with their immediate needs,” explained Chilima. He, however, appealed for support from the private sector and other well-wishers saying government alone would not manage to renovate all the damaged structures since some of them were public and private institutions such as schools and prayer houses. Other than Kauma and Ngomani locations, the other areas that were heavily affected by the Friday night stormy rains were Area 49 – Dubai, Area 50, Senti, Ng’oma and Chimoka. Four people were seriously injured in Ngomani and were admitted to Kamuzu Central Hospital as we went to press. Before the Friday tragedy, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs’ stormy-rain-related update spanning October 17, 2014 to January 2, 2015 recorded 4,933 damaged houses and institutions; 5 deaths; and 17 injuries. In a related development, media reports indicated that three sisters aged 14, 9 and 6 from one, Phiri, family in Kasungu were stricken to death by lightening Friday night while in Karonga over 70 houses were reportedly destroyed by heavy rains on the same day. These developments bring the total stormy-rain-related death toll to 9 and the number of damaged houses and institutions to over 5,000. Pictures by Malawi News Agencys (Mana) Photojournalist Stanley Makuti
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 06:47:57 +0000
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