Malawi is one of the most disaster-prone countries in Africa. In the past 15 years it has experienced 16 floods, one rainfall-related landslide, five storm-related disasters, and two severe droughts.
Since 2019, Malawi has declared several national disasters. This creates a sense of a country in permanent state of emergency. To make things worse, these climate-related disasters are increasing in frequency and severity. The damage to the economy, loss of life, and damage to health, transport systems and the environment are increasing.
In February 2023, Cyclone Freddy struck Malawi, causing floods and mudslides that killed more than 1,200 people and displaced 659,000. Over 900,000 people in Malawi were left without food for a prolonged time.
