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Horrific Effects of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi and Mozambique

by Natalie Mulford

Warning: This is a hard topic, and some images may be triggering

On March 11, Cyclone Freddy slammed into Southern Africa for the second time this year. Harsh winds and drenching rains pummeled Mozambique and then moved inland to Malawi, inducing widespread flooding and landslides. 

The effects were devastating. On March 20, the death count was reported to be 579 and rising, according to authorities in Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar, and approximately 345,000 people were affected by the heavy rains, floods and landslides (“Cyclone Freddy Death Toll”). The president of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, “has noted with grave concern the devastation that Cyclone Freddy is currently bringing to most districts… and declared a state of disaster in the Southern region” (“Dozens Killed”). More than 22,000 people have been displaced by the tropical storm, according to Radio Mozambique, and it is likely that the number will continue to rise (“Survivors Dig”).

A drone image of Mtauchira village shows the destruction caused by a mudslide where many people lost their lives in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Esa Alexander

 

A general view of a collapsed road caused by flooding waters due to heavy rains caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, on Monday.
Malawi Defence Force soldiers recover a body of a victim of landslide at Manje informal settlement in Blantyre, southern Malawi, March 16, 2023

Some of the main affected regions in Malawi are Blantyre and Chilobwe where the flooding has been its worst. Rescuers have been having a hard time reaching people because of terrible weather conditions, which have caused power supplies and phone signals to get cut off. “‘We mobilized boats and other means to search and rescue people. There are lots of communities stranded,’ Paulo Tomas, spokesperson for Mozambique’s disaster relief agency, said. ‘After this time they are starving and in need of a proper meal and medical assistance.’” (“Survivors in Shock”). 

Residents survey the damage caused by Cyclone Freddy in Chilobwe, Blantyre, Malawi [File: Eldson Chagara/Reuters]
“So far, they [the police services] have reached about 1,300 people, but hundreds more are waiting. They have had to seek refuge in trees. Their homes have been washed away and they also don’t have any food,” said Fahmida Miller, reporting from Makanga, an island in Malawi. She said that while rescue services were continuing, they had been slow to transport people from flooded islands to the mainland  (“Death Toll”). A lot of areas are inaccessible due to landslides and flooding, which has restricted the movement of aid, humanitarian teams, and life-saving supplies. Paul Turnbull, the World Food Program’s director in Malawi says that,  “The true extent of the damage will only be revealed once assessments have been concluded” (“Death Toll”).  

Displaced flood victims from Chiradzulu district rest at Montfort Primary School which is used for temporary shelter after their homes were damaged by mudslides and rockfalls in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Esa Alexander

Rescuers work to find victims buried under layers of mud and debris as the torrential rains swept away homes and buildings. Communities have had to bury their dead while it is still raining. “In the southern village of Mtauchira, men stood in newly dug graves that had filled up like pools, scooping the water out with buckets so they could lower in the caskets” (“Survivors in Shock”). 

Pallbearers carry a coffin at a burial for some of the people who lost their lives in Blantyre. [Thoko Chikondi/AP]
Men dig for survivors and victims in the mud and debris left by Cyclone Freddy in Chilobwe, Malawi [Eldson Chagara/Reuters] 
Malawian soldiers and civilians work to recover the body of a victim of a mudslide at the Manje informal settlement on the slopes of Soche Hill in Blantyre. [Amos Gumulira/AFP]
The storm injured at least 700 people in Malawi, and on March 16, President Lazarus Chakwera visited hospitals to pray with flood victims and declared a 14-day national mourning period.

Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera visits flood victims at Queen Elizabeth Central hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Esa Alexander

35-year-old Lukia Akimu, a flood victim, recounts her story from a bed in Queen Elizabeth hospital in the city of Blantyre. “I saw a lot of water and some people being washed away. Then I do not know what happened. I do not know who brought me here.” It is not known whether any of her family members survived (“Survivors in Shock”).

The cyclone was one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, and after swirling for over 34 days straight, it is likely to have broken the record for the longest-lasting tropical cyclone. It was slow-moving, picking up moisture from the ocean, which let it gather and unleash torrential rains on the African coastline. Scientists have said that climate change has been making hurricanes stronger, wetter, and windier. Oceans absorb a lot of the heat from greenhouse gas emissions and when warm seawater evaporates its heat energy is transferred to the atmosphere, fuelling more destructive storms (“Rains and High winds”). 

Branches of trees sway as cyclone Freddy hits in Quelimane, Zambezia, Mozambique, March 12, 2023 in this screen grab taken from a handout video. UNICEF Mozambique/2023/Alfredo Zuniga/Handout via REUTERS

Now, even after the storm has mostly dissipated, the heavy rains are expected to continue in parts of Malawi, which will likely cause even more flooding (“Survivors in Shock”). This added to the devastation of cyclone Freddy, which has destroyed water and toilet systems, leading to Malawian health authorities warning of an increased cholera risk. The country was already battling its deadliest cholera outbreak on record when the cyclone struck. Since it began last year, the outbreak has infected about 30,600 people and killed more than 1,700. (After Cyclone Freddy). And now the country is once again facing an immediate danger of surging cholera cases. 

Cyclone Freddy triggered floods and mudslides that swept away homes, roads, and bridges. The damage has hampered access to healthcare and other basic services. [Thoko Chikondi/AP]
Even though the worst might be over in terms of the hurricane, the devastation left behind will continue to leave repercussions on the two countries as they try to recover from this horrifying disaster. 

 

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