Yesterday, Malawi was hit by a cyclone. There was torrential rain all day. Yesterday evening the winds were very strong. Trees fell down, and walls collapsed. Here in Blantyre, there are several roads that have drainage ditches on both sides. These all flooded, turning the roads into lakes or rivers. In non-cyclone times I walk to work. Yesterday I would have had to wade to work, so instead drove my little car. I left early and parked close to the hospital entrance. Dashing the 30 feet between my car and the hospital door, I entered my work day as if I had just showered completely clothed.
We lost power in the afternoon. I figured this was due to downed power lines and would be restored in a few hours. I woke up this morning and still no electricity. I learned that the entire country is without power. Ninety-five percent of Malawi’s electricity is generated by hydropower, water moving through huge turbines in dams along its rivers. Yesterday, as the storm progressed, large amounts of debris entered the turbines. The power company shut everything down, diverting the water to other channels to prevent turbine damage. Malawi, a country of 19 million people, is dark. There are no estimates as to when the power will be restored. I cannot cook, as my stove is electric. There is no Internet. Many people have no water, as most water pumps run on electricity. We still have phone service.
This happened previously. Four or five years ago I was in Malawi in January and a cyclone hit. Things did not return to baseline for a week, a long time to be living in the dark. After that storm, Chikwawa, a town about an hour south of Blantyre, was heavily flooded due to overflow of the Shire (pronounced “shee-ree”) River. A huge diversion project was built to prevent the town from flooding again. As of now, there is no news if it worked.
Still, those of us here in Blantyre should all be thankful we are not at the mercy of storms such as the cyclone that moved over us last night. The rural poor, who comprise most of Malawi, are surely suffering more than those of us who think we have it bad after losing a few physical comforts and the Internet.
My co-worker, Nicole O’Brien, has her entire family here with her. Her four kids have no school today. We remarked that in the USA it’s common to have Snow Days in winter, when school is cancelled. Today in Malawi, it is a Cyclone Day from school. One of Nicole’s sons has his birthday today. To prevent his ice cream birthday cake from melting, she scrambled to find someone with a functioning generator and freezer. His birthday will, undoubtedly, be memorable, hopefully in a good way.
What is the difference between a cyclone, typhoon, and hurricane? Nothing except where they occur. Hurricanes form in the North Atlantic and northeast Pacific Oceans. Typhoons are over the northwest Pacific Ocean. Cyclones are in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. The cyclone we are living through formed over the Indian Ocean, moved across Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi, and is now headed back into Mozambique. This is the usual route of these tropical storms. All tropical storms occur require warm water to power them. Once a storm leaves the ocean, no more warm water. That is why they usually die out after a few days over land. There is no more warm water to feed them.
It is interesting how quickly this all affects my mood. Conversely, it is amazing how quickly my mood leaps with the restoration of power, water, and blue sky. Still, those of us here in Blantyre should all be thankful we are not at the mercy of storms such as the cyclone that moved over us last night. The rural poor, who comprise most of Malawi, are surely suffering more than those of us who think we have it bad after losing a few physical comforts and the Internet.
