Tropical Storm Ana death toll rises to 38

 The death toll from devastataing effects of moderate Tropical Storm Ana has risen to 38, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has disclosed.

In a press statement issued on Friday, Dodma commissioner Charles Kalembera also said the number of those missing has dropped from 20 to 19 after the discovery of a body of a person who went missing.

Reads the statement: “As of today, the death toll has risen from 33 to 38. In our previous update, we indicated that 20 people were reported missing, 19 in Chikwawa and one in Mwanza.

“The department has been informed by the Mwanza District Council that the reported missing person has been found in a decomposed state. The total number of missing persons is now at 19.”

The storm, characterised by devastating rains and winds, has affected 17 districts and two cities, destroying houses, livestock, crops and public infrastructure, forcing President Lazarus Chakwera to declare a State of National Disaster.

Meanwhile, Dodma has said cumulative number of injured people remains at 158 and the affected households at 193 558 “which is approximately 871 011 people”.

The department has also disclosed that it has set up 123 camps in some of the 13 affected districts for 22 790 displaced households.

On the agricultural impact, Dodma has said at least 77 532 hectares of maize, groundnuts, soybeans, tobacco, rice and cotton have either been washed away or submerged in Phalombe, Mulanje, Mangochi, Balaka, Chikwawa and Nsanje.

In his comment, Mulanje chief agriculture officer James Banda said there was need for farmers to be supported with farm inputs so they can replant.

He said: “Most of the crops that have been destroyed are maize, pigeon peas and rice. Since the rainy season is still in progress farmers can be rescued from looming hunger if they are given inputs like seeds.

“Again, after the rainy season we need support in order to

 intensify winter cropping so that we can scale up production and cover up for the loss caused by the storm.”

The storm also left in its wake a damaged road infrastructure as well as a paralysed power supply after damaging the hydro-power plant at Kapichira and flooding the Nkula and Tedzani power stations.

Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi power supply lines were extensively damaged in areas the storm