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Most of the victims of the hail storm that blew of roofs of over 200 houses and scores of school blocks in Karonga over the weekend have sought refuge in neighbours’ and friends’ houses.
Both the Karonga district and town assemblies have described the damage as ‘a serious disaster’.
“Considering that most of the houses that have been damaged and had their roofs blown off were permanent structures, it is a serious damage. Currently we are still assessing the extent of the damage,” said district commissioner Felix Mkandawire.
Mkandawire, who had just toured one of the hardest hit areas Mwenelondo, said a combination of heavy rains and winds two days before Christmas caused the damage.
Among the public structures destroyed by the winds are Mwenelondo Primary School (two blocks), Lughali Clinic, Ndomomo Primary School, Chinsolo Primary School and Ibundya School. Mkandawire said fresh reports were still coming in of houses and public structures destroyed.
He said: “Apart from the said structures, numerous houses belonging to families have either been completely damaged. Over six villages have been hit in rural Karonga, that does not include areas around Karonga Town, which is under the jurisdiction of the town assembly.”
Notable among the houses destroyed is Senior Chief Kyungu’s residence, whose roof was blown off completely. The ceremonial base of the Ngonde at Mbande’s Kyungu headquarters was also not spared.
A visit around the Karonga Boma and villages within the periphery, revealed numerous houses with roofs destroyed and several more completely destroyed.
At that time most victims were busy repairing roofs and structures alone. Most of them were complaining that they have not received any assistance from government.
“Just look at how our property has been destroyed. We don’t have anywhere to put this property and we had to leave the responsibility of shelter for our children to our neighbours,” said Rose Munthali, one of the victims.
Munthali’s family had all food reserves in the house soaked by the heavy rains.
“We had to depend on our neighbours and friends for immediate food supply,” said Munthali, who stays at Mwambetania village.
Another victim, Modesta Mbisa of Barka location recalls of how her entire family were soaked by the rains after the hail blew off the entire roof of their four-bedroom house.
Mkandawire said they have realised that local disaster committees were taking long time to come up with a thorough assessment of the disaster therefore they had to come in as an assembly to assist them so that they should establish the real gravity of the disaster.
Workson Mfungwe, a resident of Barka, recalls how he was trapped en-route home from visiting friends at the boma.
“On my way home, just an hour after I had gone to visit the friends, I found trees all over the road. Roofs had fallen down with some iron sheets carried by winds to the middle of feeder roads around Barka,” he said.
Added Mfungwe: “There was one man, on his way from a drinking spree, got home only to find the roof of his house blown off and his wife not present. He cried thinking that the wife had gone with the winds.”
Director of Planning and Development in the Karonga Town Assembly David Gondwe said almost 200 houses were either demolished, got cracks or had their roofs blown off by the winds.
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