“I pray for deceased, injured, displaced”: Pope Francis amid Cyclone Freddy in Malawi

Malawi’s capital, Blantyre, has been most affected by the cyclone, which the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has described as a “very rare” storm with an “incredible and dangerous” journey.

Following the natural disaster, Malawi’s President, Lazarus Chakwera, has declared two weeks of national mourning. 

“In view of the extent of the loss of life caused by this disaster, I have directed that all of us as a nation observe 14 days of mourning and that all flags fly at half-mast for the first seven of those days," President Chakwera said in his March 15 address to the nation. 

The Malawian President said his Cabinet authorized the release of 1.6 billion Malawian Kwacha ($1.5 million) to assist victims of the tropical storm, which mostly affected the Southern parts of the country. 

"I can already tell you that this money will not be nearly enough. The level of devastation we are dealing with here is greater than the resources we have at our disposal,” he said.

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Earlier, on March 14, Catholic Bishops in the country appealed for aid to assist victims of what has been described as the longest-lived cyclone on record. 

The members of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) asked all people of goodwill “to stand and feel with the victims of this devastating cyclone and immediately start to donate whatever they can, in form of money and in kind, to help the victims who have been affected and are suffering from the effects of the cyclone.”

The Catholic Bishops asked that the collected donations be distributed to those in need “as soon as possible”. 

ECM members also called on Malawians dwelling in flood - and disaster-prone areas to move to safer grounds. 

Malawi has been affected by tropical cyclones before. Cyclone Freddy comes a year after Tropical Storm Gombe, which claimed the lives of seven Malawians. 

In 2021, Cyclone Ana hit the Southern African nation affecting 994,967, according to the Malawi Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA).  

Like Tropical storms Ana and Gombe, Cyclone Freddy has also affected Mozambique and Madagascar.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.