Sentinel-1 has contributed to aid disaster response efforts in Malawi, following devastating floods which have affected the south African nation in January 2015.

After a long drought during December 2014, Malawi received heavy rainfall for several weeks in January, particularly from Tropical Cyclone's Bansi and Chedza. The rainfall caused floods which affected over half of the country, killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands homeless. It is some of the worst flooding that Malawi has experienced in many years, and is expected to result in a long process of recovery due to the disaster's impact on infrastructure and agriculture.

Sentinel-1, with its radar instrument, is a valuable tool for flood monitoring; as radar imagery can be used to easily distinguish areas of water from land. The acquisition of radar data is also unaffected by local weather conditions and cloud, enabling monitoring of a disaster area even during periods of stormy weather.

Different services and projects made use of Sentinel-1 data:

• The Copernicus Emergency Management Service, managed by the European Commission. Maps produced from Sentinel-1 data are available
• ESA's TIGER project - An international effort to monitor and manage the water needs of Africa