APA-Lilongwe (Malawi) The United Nations and partners have launched a humanitarian appeal for an additional US$70 million to assist over one million Malawians impacted by Tropical Cyclone Freddy last month, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday.
OCHA said in a statement that the new funding request is in addition to the US$45 million called for earlier this year to support Malawi’s cholera response and brings the revised flash appeal for the southern African country to nearly US$116 million.
“Since Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit the country last month, we and partners have reached over 370,000 people with humanitarian assistance including clean water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as food assistance to complement the government’s relief efforts,” OCHA said.
The appeal aims to support the government-led responses to floods and cholera, including providing shelter, nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene support to affected families.
Cyclone Freddy, which also affected neighbouring Mozambique, claimed more than 1,200 lives in Malawi when it lashed the country in mid-March.
It submerged and washed away hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops, leaving more than half a million Malawians displaced and sheltered in camps across flood-affected areas.
Difficult weather conditions continue to hinder search and rescue operations in areas only accessible via air, with hundreds of people still missing.
The cyclone has further compromised communities already struggling with the spread of cholera.
The disaster has left an estimated 1.1 million people in dire need of urgent humanitarian support.
JN/APA