Cyclone Freddy hit southern Malawi on Monday, March 13 has broken world records as one of the strongest and longest sustained tropical storms ever recorded. As of Monday, March 20, Malawi has reported 476 deaths, 918 missing, and 717 injured. The estimated number of households affected has reached over 200,000. Increasing cholera cases-additional resources are needed to address the health impacts of the cyclone; your solidarity and support is timely and necessary.
Malawi's government has declared a "state of disaster" in the southern region of the country where thousands of people have been displaced by mudslides and infrastructure damage from the storm. The cyclone has compromised infrastructure throughout Malawi, making some roads unnavigable and causing blackouts. The Malawi department of meteorological services has officially announced that cyclone Freddy has receded in Malawi. However, ongoing heavy rains still pose a risk for flooding.
Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo, (APZU), as Partners In Health is known in Malawi, has worked in the landlocked nation in southeastern Africa since 2007. APZU is committed to support districts most affected by the storm with: - staff, supplies, and transport to provide mobile outreach clinics - social support for people in camps - provision of medical supplies for health facilities - fuel to run the health services and support assessments.
As the APZU team prepares to mobilize for a larger, sustained response-and with a strong likelihood of increasing cholera cases-additional resources are needed to address the health impacts of the cyclone. PIH urgently needs to raise $500,000 to provide the strongest possible response to this crisis and to sustain the best possible care for Malawi's patients in the aftermath of the storm. Thank you for your consideration of support.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
