Cyclone Idai leaves devestation in its wake

Cyclone Idai hit southern Malawi after only one week had passed since the last cyclone. Idai also devasted vast areas of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, affecting thousands. So many have died, lost their loved ones, their belongings, their crops and been left homeless. Cyclone Idai has been declared By the UN “one of the worst weather-related disasters ever to hit the southern hemisphere”. Cholera and malaria are major dangers with so much standing water. There are collections locally for flood victims: food, kids clothes, kitchen utensils and buckets with lids are at the top items in demand. The current flood zone is estimated to cover 3,000 sq km (1,200 sq miles). If you want to make a donation I can buy these locally and have them sent to the worst areas.

Here in our village of Mponda, where, like most of rural Malawi, the houses are built using simple mud bricks, some homes have collapsed. A father lost his legs and two children in Songani, our nearest town. Many villagers fear that the harvest will be affected and therefore maize will be in short supply later this year. On the mountainside, we have not suffered from flooding, only the effects of too much rain. As my neighbour Ruth said "farming is a difficult business, too much rain is as bad as too little." I am still surviving without electricity but enjoying the abundance of avocados and pineapples.

The maize is not yet ripe until the end of April. Makwawa Malawi charity is again buying maize for the village. Feeding around 150 people for a month for £500 doesn't seem like much but it is a lifeline many in Malawi don't have. The legacy of Makwawa is bringing blessings to this small corner of poverty stricken Africa. 

What is very apparent is that climate changes, where weather systems like cyclones can be so ferocious, devastating thousands of peoples lives, are far more damaging to people who live in the third world than when they occur in more developed countries, where resources and aid are in larger supply, where the infrastructure of rescue exists. Here tarmac roads, vehicles and rescue services are rare. Thank God for the rescue services that are now being deployed. 

I am writing this on my phone as still, 3 weeks later, we have no electricity and my computer has no power. The effects of this disaster will impact lives for years to come.