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Malawi: Recovery from floods may take five years and cost $400 million

It may take five years and more than $400 million US to rebuild Malawi after torrential rains and flash floods affected 15 of Malawi’s 28 districts in January, according to the United Nations.

A recent report states that short-term reconstruction could be completed within a year, but that longer-term efforts could take up to five years.

Helen Clark is the Administrator of the UN Development Programme. She says, “The floods were an appalling tragedy, and there can be little solace for those who have lost so much.”

Mrs. Clark says that farmers need help to feed their families over the next year. She called for the recovery process to provide tools, seeds and livestock, and says repairing key roads would restore access to basic services and markets.

To read the full article, go to: http://www.trust.org/item/20150618164906-dfpm3/ [1]

Photo: In this photo from 2008, people cross a flooded river in Chikwawa district, some 70 km (43 miles) south of Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre. Credit: REUTERS/Eldson Chagara