Online edition of Daily News

Hundreds still reported missing after floods : Massive relief operation underway

So far 128 bodies of victims have been recovered in the worst ever floods to hit the country in decades. Hundreds more are reported missing.

Nearly 175,000 families have also been displaced in the devastation as Government agencies and NGOs engaged in an effort to get relief supplies to the affected areas which have been cut off by the floods.

Round the clock rescue operations were on yesterday for more bodies amidst reports that a large number of persons were missing in the raging floods that lashed three provinces in the South and Sabaragamuwa taking a massive toll in its wake.

This is one of the hundreds of houses that went under the flood waters. Picture by Sulochana

An Emergency Disaster Management Ministerial Committee presided over by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met yesterday to assess the situation.

The committee identified search and rescue operations, food supply, improving road conditions, providing drinking water, medical and first aid facilities, as priority areas to be attended to within the next 24 hours. Temporary shelters will be provided for 50,000 displaced families.

Gramasevakas have been requested to provide all details of their respective affected areas. The Police Control Room has set up a special communications unit to gather flood information islandwide.

Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen and Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees yesterday to offer Norwegian aid amounting to Rs. 95 million for rehabilitating human life and property damaged by the floods in the Ratnapura, Deniyaya and Matara areas.Picture by Samantha Weerasiri

A Special Operational Office commenced operating at the Social Services Ministry, Sethsiripaya since yesterday afternoon. All main roads have been cleared. Seven backhoe machines have been sent to Ratnapura and two to Morawaka.

The Prime Minister will meet Indian and Norwegian diplomats today to seek assistance for flood affected areas. An Indian ship INS Sharda has arrived at Galle Port with three medical officers, five medical assistants and 33 divers.

The Norwegian Government yesterday granted Rs. 95 million in emergency relief. Funds will be channelled through the Sri Lanka Red Cross and UN agencies, the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo said in a press release.

Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen and Ambassador Hans Brattskar on Sunday accompanied the Prime Minister on his tour to the flood affected Ratnapura and Matara districts.

The Government has allocated Rs.9.29 million to provide relief for flood victims, Social Welfare Ministry Secretary Vijayalakshmi Jegarasasingam said.

She said that the highest number of confirmed deaths (70) were reported from the Ratnapura district. About 25 deaths have been reported from the Matara district while another 22 deaths have been reported from the Hambantota district.

The total number of affected families is 171,379 with the highest number (100,000) being reported from the Galle district. Rs.765,000 has been allocated for the emergency relief. The second highest number of affected families is reported from the Ratnapura district (35,000 families) and Rs.1.89 million has been allocated to provide emergency relief for the Ratnapura district. In Hambantota district 10,000 families have been affected by the floods and Rs.800,000 has been allocated for emergency relief, she added.

In the Kalutara district about 15,000 families have been affected by the floods and Rs.1.98 million has been allocated for emergency relief. Lands Minister Rajitha Senaratne has made arrangements to provide cooked meals and dry rations for the affected families in the Kalutara district.

Persons who wish to provide donations should contact Minister Senaratne on 887444 and 0777-301868. District Secretary on 034-22235 and Coordinating Office, Kalutara on 034-29795.

The Meteorology Department said more rain was possible in the next few weeks, although the worst affected region, Ratnapura had seen some respite from the rain since Saturday.

Ratnapura District Secretary Malini Premaratne said relief workers had been able to reach people who were stranded on rooftops and trees. They had been provided food and water. Many relief agencies have come to help. We have already distributed about 50,000 packets of food, she added.

Opposition Leader of the Western Provincial Council Kithsiri Kahatapitiya told the Daily News that according to the information received, over 25,000 families in several villages in 14 Divisional Secretariat divisions in the Kalutara district have been displaced due to increased floods.

He said the Provincial Council has taken all possible steps to provide immediate relief to these flood victims. " We have already informed the Government on the prevailing situation of these affected areas and jointly work with Government to grant immediate relief measures to those displaced and affected by the floods."

Kahatapitiya said at present Grama Niladaris, Samurdhi Development Officers and other Government officials have faced difficulties to visit certain flood affected areas due to increased floods level in those areas. As a result, people have faced a lot of hardship.

"I have requested all the Government Officials to report for work and submit a report on the displaced families to grant them relief immediately."

Meanwhile our Bulathsinhala Special Correspondent Milton Dharmasinghe said over 14 villages in Kalutara district such as Kalawellawa, Mahagama, Molkawa, Halwathura, Retiyala, Dewamulla, Naragala, Opalla, Bellapitiya, Uduwara, Yatawara, Anguruwathota, Madurawala and Yala have been completely surrounded by floods.

At present transport on Horana-Kalawellawa, Horana-Mathugama and Horana-Kalutara routes have been stopped due to increased floods in certain areas of these roads. He said no deaths have been reported so far. However, the flood level is heavily increasing in these affected areas. Bulathsinhala and Madurawala Divisional Secretaries have already taken steps to provide relief to the displaced families who have been affected by floods.

During a meeting held yesterday at the Hambantota District Secretariat chaired by Minister Ananda Kularatne it has been decided to provide dry rations to the displaced persons in the Hambantota district and grant compensation worth Rs 15,000 for the dependants of the flood victims.

Twenty people have so far been killed by heavy floods in the Katuwana area of the district and the Minister has also directed the relevant authorities to take steps to restore electricity, telecommunications and transport facilities to areas.

It has also been decided to estimate the damage caused to houses in order to grant compensation to the owners.

The Hambantota District Secretary has requested donors and other organisations to hand over the donations to the Secretariat.