U.S. Government Offers Condolences and Support to Victims of Tropical Cyclone Freddy
LILONGWE, March 14, 2023 – We join the Malawian people in mourning the lives lost and the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy. Our thoughts are with all affected communities and families, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery. We are working with the Government of Malawi and other partners to provide support to affected areas, and we are committed to helping Malawi recover from this disaster as quickly as possible.
Following President Chakwera’s declaration of a State of Disaster, the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. agencies, is responding immediately to this crisis. We are providing emergency shelters to affected households in Nsanje and Chikwawa through our existing $2 million support through Catholic Relief Services. USAID has also initiated the process of swiftly allocating additional, lifesaving resources to provide essential humanitarian assistance to include blankets, buckets, tarps, chlorine tablets to ensure clean water, mosquito nets, and more.
USAID has staff on the ground coordinating closely with the Emergency Operations Center in Blantyre to determine how the U.S. Government can support the Government of Malawi to reach the hardest hit communities.