Economic damage estimated at US $ 500 million

Govt steps up relief efforts for flood victims

by Mohammed NAALIR

The Government has stepped up relief efforts as aid began pouring in from around the world for more than one million people affected by heavy floods in 16 districts.

The floods have claimed 37 lives and the economic damage has been estimated at US$ 500 million.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday dispatched several ministerial teams to flood-hit areas to assess the damage and expedite relief measures.

He has also instructed the Treasury to immediately increase the relief allocations, especially for the worst-hit Batticaloa district.

More personnel from the Security Forces and the Police will be deployed for relief activities. There has also been a tremendous response from the public to the Government’s appeal for flood relief material and several organisations have volunteered to send relief supplies. The Presidential Secretariat’s Relief Centre has become a focal point for the collection and distribution of relief goods.

The United Nations has also launched an emergency appeal for funds to help the victims of floods in Sri Lanka.

UN Resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator Neil Buhne said in a statement that the world body will call for millions of dollars in aid to help replant the paddy fields and compensate those who have lost property due to the floods.“I urge donors to generously support priority needs such as mosquito nets, clean water and food,” he said.

The UN”s World Food Programme has also announced an emergency operation to provide short-term rations to the people affected by floods.

The United States has granted US$ 300,000 as an urgent measure for relief measures, especially in the worst-hit Eastern Province. The US, through its Embassy, is also supplying bottled water, cooking materials, tarpaulins and other essential items to affected families in Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara districts.

India has sent a planeload of relief supplies worth US$ 1 million, which were being distributed yesterday throughout the Eastern Province. Another load of supplies will arrive soon.

Japan is donating emergency assistance worth Rs. 26 million for immediate distribution among the flood affected people. The relief goods include 400 tents and 2,000 sleeping pads. The relief items will be distributed through the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Several other countries and international relief agencies including the Red Cross also involved in the relief efforts.

The floods have affected 283,781 families numbering 1,055,668 persons in Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, Moneragala, Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Kegalle, Kandy, Ampara, Trincomalee, Matale, Ratnapura, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Puttalam and Mannar districts, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.

Forty nine persons have been injured - one person in Moneragala district, six persons in Nuwara Eliya, five persons in Badulla district, 19 persons in Kandy district, 13 persons in Ampara district, three persons in Matale district and two persons in Ratnapura district.

Twelve persons have gone missing. Six hundred camps have been set up to accommodate the homeless victims.

According to the DMC, 3,774 houses have been completely damaged and 19,534 houses have been partly damaged in the flood-hit districts.