The United Nations (UN) has provided aid to 3,000 people in Malawi after tropical Cyclone Ana hit the country.
Cyclone Ana came with heavy rainfall, causing floods and landslides resulting in casualties and widespread damage in Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.
Report from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) shows that cyclone Ana has affected 45,000 people in Malawi.
Casualties and displacement rates have also been reported in Madagascar, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The UN World Food Programe (WFP) said the UN evacuation shelter was made available with a view to mitigating the effects of cyclones and severe storms on the populace.
‘Julita and 3,000 people from 15 surrounding villages have access to a [UN] -supported evacuation shelter for exactly these kinds of storms’, WFP tweeted.
‘Our [WFP Malawi] teams have deployed boats to support the [government] of Malawi with search [and] rescue [Cyclone Ana]’.
The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is also conducting needs assessment in Malawi.
‘In order to help children and their families recover from their losses and rebuild their lives after [Cyclone Ana], [UNICEF Malawi team] will distribute life-saving supplies to the affected districts once the needs assessment is completed’, UNICEF said in a tweet.
The UN action is in line with its 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, with the aim to ‘leave no one behind’.
The Malawi government has also declared a state of emergency in response to Cyclone Ana.
In recent years, Malawi has experienced a rise in the frequency, intensity and unpredictability of climate shocks, perpetuating a cycle of food and nutrition insecurity.
In March 2019, heavy and persistent rains caused severe flooding in several districts, especially in the southern region of the country.
This was quickly followed by Cyclone Idai, which submerged vast regions of southern Malawi, displacing 86,980 people.
The ripple effect of cyclone Ana is certain to affect food security as farms have already been adversely impacted by the floods occasioned by Cyclone Ana.
This situation is worsened by the fact that much of Malawi’s population is dependent on agriculture and agricultural-related activities for livelihood.
Data from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) shows more than a third of rural households earn their livelihood only from farming or fishing and an additional 25 percent combine work on their farm with other jobs in the agricultural sector.
Photo source: WFP
