Speaking to journalists on Thursday afternoon after visiting Mulanje and Blantyre, Chilima said the government is currently planning to implement national and localized solutions to support the victims.

“In the future there will be a number of solutions. Resettlement is one option in certain places, re-afforestation is another, it depends on which geography we are dealing with.

“River dredging because of the heavy siltation is probably one of the common things we have to do and the sand we harvest from there be it from public works program or any program that we are going to embark on, we could use that to mold bricks and use those bricks to build more resilient dwelling places,” said Chilima.

The vice president also amplified president Chakwera’s message for partners to continue supporting Malawi to build back better.

On pushing for urgent action, Chilima instructed authorities in Mulanje to liaise with their Mozambique counterparts to fix Muloza bridge that was damaged on the Mozambique's side by the cyclone.

“We had a similar issue between Songwe and Karonga last time and the bridge was worked on within 24 hours. Please fix the bridge so that by next week, people should start using the bridge and the border post operational,” he said.

Mulanje District Commissioner, David Gondwe and Blantyre City Council Chief executive officer, Dennis Chinseu said efforts are being made to provide shelter and relocate the affected households.

Cyclone Freddy has so far killed 676 people in southern part of Malawi, over 500 others missing and thousands homeless with several living in camps