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afrol.com/AENS, 12 February - Malawi authorities ordered villagers to urgently move to higher ground on Monday after heavy rains left over 100 people in seven villages homeless. No-one was injured in the high winds and flash flooding, but Karonga district commissioner Timothy Mwale said on Monday storms ripped the roofs off at least 20 houses, and seriously damaged three primary schools and a village health centre. Malawi's water affairs ministry meanwhile urged residents in Karonga, as well as the southern provinces of Nsanje and Chikwawa district to immediately move to higher ground and to only seek shelter in solidly constructed buildings. The department said in a statement on Monday that more heavy rain was predicted for Malawi and Mozambique over the next week, with local rivers and dams already running very high. No one was killed in storms at the weekend, but scores of villagers were injured when their mud and thatch homes collapsed. Mwale added that massive tracts of local maize fields were destroyed but said agricultural inspectors would only evaluate the damage later this week. "Communication systems, such as telephones, have also been affected as in some places where cables were cut or poles toppled," he said. District authorities have distributed canvas and plastic tarpaulins to replace damaged roofs and are preparing to distribute food aid. "We don't know how bad or how widespread the damage is yet, because many roads are still impassable and whole villagers are still cut off from the rest of the world," said Mwale. The water affairs department also cautioned business and other travellers in the area to take heed of predicted flooding and landslides and to ensure that bridges are stable before crossing. By Brian Ligomeka, African Eye News Service (AENS)
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