Flood havoc leaves 14 dead

Seven missing while over 2,100 affected:

Ridma Dissanayake

Floods and earthslips triggered by torrential rains accompanied by gale force winds across the country have left 14 dead and over 21,000 affected. Seven persons are also reported missing while 20 others are injured.

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) yesterday announced that the number of families affected by floods and landslides caused by heavy rains that lashed the country during the last few days have increased. A total of 21,120 persons belonging to 5,202 families have been affected by landslides, floods and strong winds caused by rains in Southern, Central, North Central, Uva, Eastern and North Western Provinces, they added.

According to DMC reports, 6312 persons belonging to 1791 families are in 29 Evacuation Centres which have been set up in Matale, Kandy, Badulla, Nuwara-Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Monaragala and Batticaloa districts. Eleven out of this have been established in the North Central Province.

Ninety two houses in Batticaloa, Monaragala, Nuwara-Eliya Kandy and Matale districts have been fully damaged while 499 houses have been partially damaged - a majority of them in the Eastern and Central provinces. Seven thousand nine hundred and twenty nine persons have been affected in the Hambantota district.

They belong to 1515 families from Tissamaharama, Sooriyawewa, Lunugamwehera and Ambalanthota. Around 1528 persons belonging to 373 families in Matale district have been affected by floods and landslides and another 3112 persons (1024 families) in the Polonnaruwa district, 2466 persons of 632 families in Batticaloa have been also been affected by thee floods, and strong winds.

Around 2,900 persons belonging to 961 families are being housed in 11 evacuation centres in the Thamankaduwa, Elahera and Dimbulagala areas in Polonnaruwa district. Another 3413 persons ( 831 families) are also in Evacuation Centres set up established in different parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the Navy has dispatched flood relief assistance to the areas affected by bad weather . SLN Craft and 15 flood relief teams comprising 106 Naval personnel have been deployed to assist people in the areas of Wilgamuwa, Aralaganwila, Polonnaruwa, Manampititya, Vakarai, Maha Oya, Na-Ula, Wariyapola, Bakamoona and Batuhena.

A number of spill gates of the main reservoirs have been opened due to the heavy rains and the Meteorology Department said that this bad weather condition will prevail for the next 10 days. Thunder showers can be expected in island wide, they added.