Malawi Resort District Cut Off By Heavy Floods
Date: 08-Mar-06
Country: MALAWI
Author: Mabvuto Banda
Officials had no immediate word on casualties but said damage in the few areas that remained accessible appeared extensive and included crucial crops.
At one makeshift shelter crammed with over 100 families, Mai Alinafe sat counting her losses - a maize garden, a house and food stocks to feed her three children.
"I have lost everything," she said as she choked back tears.
As the rains subsided, families slogged to nearby shelters in knee-deep water, carrying the meagre belongings that they managed to salvage from their wrecked homes.
The meteorological department said downpours on Monday night and Tuesday had drenched the region with 158 mm (6.2 inch) of rain.
Mangochi is one of the districts in the southern part of the country described as one of the worst hit by a food crisis affecting millions.
"Thousands of people have moved to makeshift shelters in schools and churches and we are still trying to come up with estimates of how many have been affected and how many crops have been destroyed," district planning officer Harry Chipani told Reuters.
"Some tourists are stranded in hotels and cannot use cars to get out," he added. He could not immediately say how many tourists were affected or give their nationalities.
The area near the southern tip of Lake Malawi is popular with tourists attracted by sunshine, sandy beaches and excellent diving amid colourful tropical fish.
The National Roads Authority (NRA) in a public notice said engineers on site are failing to repair the damage because the whole district is waterlogged.
Good rains have raised prospects for better crop yields this year in Malawi after a scorching drought in 2005 left almost five million people in need of food aid until the start of the harvest from the current season's crop in April.
This is the second time this year Mangochi has been hit by floods which damaged crops.
