ESCOM, MRA support DoDMA with K50m each as relief package

#OperationTigwiraneManja#

Maravi Express

As Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) continues appealing for support towards assisting survivors of the flash floods due to effects of Cyclone Freddy, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) and Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) have each supported with K50 million as part of President Lazarus Chakwera’s #OperationTigwiraneManja#

ESCOM presented the donation through Minister of Energy, Ibrahim Matola at  DoDMA’s Limbe Emergency Planning Centre on Thursday, where the Minister said the support complements Chakwera’s initiative — meant to mobilise resources from the public and private sectors for the flood survivors.

“Malawi has experienced cyclones before but the impact of Cyclone Freddy has been unprecedented,” said Matola, who was accompanied by Energy Ministry Principal Secretary, Eng. Alfonso Chikuni. 

“It is pleasing to note that — though hard hit — EACON felt duty-bound to be part of the restoration, as a good corporate citizen.”

ESCOM Chief Executive Officer, Kamkwamba Kumwenda said they felt obliged to assist the needy affected by the cyclone, even though the natural occurrence also hit the power utility company badly.

“Restoration woks started immediately after the cyclone eased down, but not at the pace we want. Unfortunately, some people have taken advantage of the vulnerability of the infrastructure to vandalise it,” Kumwenda said.

“Therefore, our restoration efforts will a bit delayed because some parts of our infrastructure is not there. We are geared to conclude the restoration works in the shortest possible time except in the areas where our assets have been vandalized.”

He said ESCOM is concerned with reports that some people are diverting relief items, hence the state-owned power utility company opted to channel the donation through DoDMA.

On its part, MRA said they too have been affected by the cyclone — thus they thought of giving a helping hand to the wider affected communities.

Speaking when he presented the cheque to DoDMA, Commissioner General John Biziwick said the tax collection authority’s stations in Marka in Nsanje and Muloza in Mulanje were affected by Cyclone Freddy-induced mudslides.

“The devastation at Muloza was much higher and the mudslide affected houses of our members of staff as well, who live in a community.

“So as we were trying to assist them to get back to their feet, we felt that we should also extend the assistance to the wider affected communities to set them going as DoDMA and other humanitarian partners continue providing assistance,” Biziwick is quoted as saying on DoDMA’s Facebook page of updates.

DoDMA’s Director of Disaster Preparedness & Response, Rev. Moses Chimphepo said the support means a lot to the affected people, saying: “We have thousands of people living in camps and they require day to day basic needs.

“It will take some time for most of the displaced communities to recover as their houses were completely damaged and they have nowhere else to go to other than the camps.

Rev. Chimphepo described Cyclone Freddy as the worst in the country’s history in terms of damage to property, injuries and deaths as it had claimed 676 lives, 2,071 injured, 537 missing with survivors now occupying 747 camps in the affected districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Zomba, Mulanje and Blantyre.