Blantyre - Saturated Malawi is bracing itself for more flooding which has already claimed at least 176 lives, with countless more missing.
The government warned its people to move to higher ground yesterday to avoid still-rising waters, with a second cyclone expected to hit soon.
Half the country has already been declared a disaster area and about 200 000 people have been displaced by the surging water.
The official death toll is 176, but the figure is likely to rise steeply as hundreds are still missing, especially in the flood-prone southern Lower Shire Valley.
A joint army and police search and rescue operation was still under way there, Vice-President Saulos Chilima said.
At least 307 people had been rescued by helicopter and 1 264 had been evacuated using boats.
“Since the rains are expected to continue, I would like to urge all people living in low-lying areas in flood-prone districts to move upland and avoid crossing fast-flowing streams and rivers in order to avoid losing lives,” said Chilima, whose office is co-ordinating relief, search, recovery and rescue efforts.
A team from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has arrived to assist.
According to the country representative, Mia Seppo, the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) will fly in a plane load of relief supplies.
These would include bottled water, food and sanitation facilities - also tents, tarpaulins and cooking utensils.
The governments of the UK, the US, Norway, Germany and Ireland are funding the supplies.
The World Food Programme will also fly in 100 tons of food from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot which is located in Dubai.
This targets 77 000 displaced people.
Rescue SA is also sending in a team of rescuers.
Chilima said about 3 700 tents were still required to offer temporary shelter to the nearly 200 000 displaced people.
Schooling has been badly disrupted by the floods.
Chilima said 415 schools had been affected by the flooding; 234 had their roofs blown off, had been submerged or had collapsed.
At least 181 schools were being used to shelter people forced to flee their homes, which had further disrupted classes.
- The Mercury