Storm Freddy claims more than 500 lives in southern Africa

Malawi was particularly hard hit by the storm. At least 438 people were killed there. More than half a million people in the country are experiencing the effects of the storm, according to the United Nations. Tens of thousands of people lost their homes due to the flooding and mudslides caused by the heavy rains of recent times.

Freddy is one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere and is possibly the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record. The storm made landfall for the second time last weekend and left a trail of destruction. In six days, an amount of rain fell that normally comes down in about six months.