The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has warned Malawians to inspect buildings and avoid flood-prone areas as heavy rains linked to the ITCZ are expected to persist into early January, raising risks of flash floods and infrastructure damage.
Flash floods triggered by continuous heavy rains have damaged roads and property in Nkhotakota, displacing families and prompting ongoing search and rescue operations as authorities urge residents to remain vigilant.
Flash floods in Chikwawa have affected over 2,000 households after days of heavy rain, collapsing homes, destroying food supplies and injuring four people, as authorities warn of urgent needs for food and shelter across several hard-hit traditional authorities district-wide impact.
Communities must be heard for Malawi to build climate and disaster resilience. CISONECC has called for stronger engagement between citizens and government, saying grassroots voices are key to shaping effective climate action and reducing disaster risks nationwide.
Vice President Justice Jane Ansah is travelling across Malawi’s disaster-hit districts to lead relief efforts firsthand, assessing damage, hearing community needs and speeding up life-saving responses — work critics mislabel as excess, though it is central to her disaster-management mandate.
The Disaster Risk Management Act of 2023 establishes a Disaster Management Fund, outlines measures for disaster risk reduction, guides settlement relocation, and defines the role of international actors — a framework designed to strengthen Malawi’s preparedness and resilience against future disasters.
One of the recipients of the relief food, Grace Banda from Traditional Authority Likoswe, thanked the AfDB for the timely support, saying it saved her family from hunger.
As Malawi approaches the next disaster season, the effectiveness of its legal tools to manage and reduce risks hangs in the balance, awaiting the political will to turn policy into protection.
Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) said preliminary report from Mulanje District Council indicates that floods have affected 169 households in Traditional Authority (TA) Nkanda.
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) has reported an increase in the number of deaths and injuries caused by disasters, with the death toll rising from 35 to 39 since the onset of the 2024/25 rainy season.
The relocated community, according to GVH Kalonga is food insecure following last year's dry spell and are requesting government to construct an irrigation scheme
To a country like Malawi, impacts of climate change are not new. From the Cyclone Gombe to Idai, Ana and Freddy among others have been catastrophic in the country for the past years.
