Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) says the ongoing 2025/26 rainfall season has already affected 35,758 households – roughly 160,011 people – across 29 councils as storms, flash floods and strong winds continue to batter the country.
In its latest situation update, DoDMA confirmed 36 deaths, 168 injuries and two missing persons since the rains began on 1 September.
Nkhotakota District remains the epicentre of the crisis, with 10,772 households affected and more than 9,500 people displaced into 12 camps.
DoDMA said it is distributing food and non‑food relief items and will continue assistance as councils verify needs on the ground.
The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has warned of further flash‑flood risks in districts including Nkhotakota, Salima, Mzimba, Kasungu, Nkhata Bay, Dowa, Mchinji, Ntchisi, Mzuzu, Likoma, Machinga, Mangochi, Zomba and Balaka.
Authorities have urged councils in high‑risk areas to move communities to evacuation centres, while the national Search and Rescue team remains on high alert for rapid deployment.
Malawi faces recurrent weather‑related disasters, with heavy rainfall frequently triggering floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in low‑lying districts along the lakeshore and the Shire Valley.
Events such as Cyclone Idai in 2019 and Cyclone Freddy in 2023 left lasting scars and the country’s vulnerability has been compounded by deforestation, poor drainage and climate‑driven extremes.
JN/APA