Mangochi, February 7: President Dr. Joyce Banda has commended the Malawi Defense Force (MDF) for expeditiously responding to flood victims’ call for immediate assistance when floods washed away assorted household items in Traditional Authority (T/A) Nankumba in Mangochi.

The MDF in Monkey-Bay were the first to respond to flood victims call for assistance following a wash away on January 7 that affected close to 2,300 families.

“I came here a proud commander of the MDF due to their quick response to the needs of the victims most of which was shelter. An army is not there for peace keeping alone but also for citizen’s aid when need arises,” said the Malawi leader when she cheered people affected by the wash away at Ntakataka Primary School Ground.

Dr. Banda noted that the affected were living in extreme conditions not befitting a Malawian family pledging her administration’s commitment to alleviating their plight.

She called upon traditional leaders, the district council and party officials to exercise fairness when distributing relief items to the victims observing that others are denied access to the items despite being deserving beneficiaries.

“We are all Malawians. Whether adults, young people, females or men alike, we are all natives of the nation as such let us work together for the good of everyone,” said President Banda amid cheers of the crowd that gathered in solidarity of the victims.

In his remarks, Member of Parliament for the area, Ralph Jooma who is also Deputy Finance Minister said the floods were a surprise to everyone in the area noting that the area rarely receives adequate rains.

“We were all baffled when between January 7 to 9 the area received continues rains leading to loss of property and people’s livelihood,” explained Jooma while commending Unicef, Red Cross and MDF among others for coming to the rescue of the victims.

One of the affected, Gusto Ngondoma who spoke on behalf of the victims echoed President Banda’s sentiments in commending the MDF for their quick response adding that their assistance offered them hope of survival.

The January 7 wash away affected 13 people in Namazizi village, 72 in Mboadzulu, 90 in Ntakataka and 83 in Chizula among others.

Earlier, President Banda cheered flood victims from Group Village Headman Mwanyama and Nthunye where 210 households and 114 hactres of land were affected by flooding waters of Bvumbe River.

About 5,000 households in Mangochi have been affected by floods since the onset of the 2012- 2013 rainy season.