Salima District Council has commended Malawi Red Cross Society for supporting 879 flood survivors with various food and non-food items.

Speaking on Friday during a meeting on Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, Salima District Council acting relief and rehabilitation officer Jayaka Kipandula said Red Cross has been a reliable partner in its disaster response programmes.

Participants follow a presentation during the meeting

“We are grateful for the timely donations to the 879 families affected by disasters in the District. Without their support, we would not afford to help the survivors recover from their loss,” he said.

Kipandula urged other well-wishers to follow the example set by Red Cross.

Salima district Red Cross coordinator Brian Katete said they supported the survivors through disaster relief emergency funds.

He said they will now hand over the humanitarian initiatives to government.

“We are handing over our activities to the district council so it can follow up on the survivors’ situation after the disaster,” said Katete.

Akimu Wahabi, a beneficiary from Traditional Authority Maganga, commended Malawi Red Cross Society for the interventions.

“It was difficult for us to get back to our feet as we lost everything to floods. But the assistance helped us recover partly from our loss,” he said.

According to Salima District Council, strong winds and floods since November 2021 have affected at least 5 000 households in the district.

Meanwhile, Department of Disaster Management Affairs commissioner Charles Kalemba has urged district councils in the country to put in place measures to address the impact of disasters.

His warning followed a weather forecast by the Southern African Development Community  that the region will receive normal to above normal rainfall.

The predictions are for the period starting October, November, December 2022 and January, February and March 2023.

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