3 February 2015, Nsanje District, Malawi - An aerial view of Makhanga in the Southern Malawian district of Nsanje. The 'Makhanga Island' is what remains above the water line after the floods have turned the entire rural area into a stretch of water. Farmers in southern Malawi urgently need seeds and livestock after intense flooding destroyed their fields and homes, washing away animals and crops and threatening local food security. More than 170,000 people have had to leave their homes. Some 79 deaths have been confirmed so far, while 153 people are still missing in Nsanje district alone. An estimated 116,000 households have lost their crops and livestock. Malawi is regularly affected by droughts and floods. But the current heavy rains have come ahead of their usual schedule - repeatedly bursting the banks along the Shire and Ruo rivers - and their impact has been far wider.