SLT and Mobitel assist flood victims

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) and Mobitel, together with the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology is to support the Disaster Management Centre to help victims hit by heavy rains and floods especially in the Kalkudai and Ampara areas. They believe that it is their responsibility to support the government in its disaster relief efforts to help people stranded in flood affected areas.

The severe flooding has had a devastating impact and has also affected the company’s network, disrupting telephone services in these areas. The company assures its customers and the public that SLT staff are working around the clock to restore services and to support national disaster relief efforts.

The Disaster Recovery Management team of SLT is in the process of enabling all its regional offices and field maintenance centres as collection centers for essential goods for distribution to flood victims. The company, together with the Ministry of Telecommunication and IT and the Disaster Management Centre will co-ordinate the distribution of collected goods amongst the flood victims.

SLT and its subsidiary Mobitel encourages customers to donate by sending a text message from their Mobitel mobile phone or SLT CDMA fixed phone to the special number ‘5050’. The customer will be charged Rs. 10 for each text message which will be matched rupee for rupee by SLT or Mobitel as the case may be and donated to the relief efforts.