Damage to property and livestock runs into billions of rupees

Floods wreak havoc:

by Lalin Fernandopulle

Most of the flood victims in the Hambantota District have returned to their homes as floods have subsided and the roads are being cleared, said Director General, Disaster Management Centre, Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi.

He told the Sunday Observer that there isn't a single camp in the Hambantota district and all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have returned to their homes.

The damage to property and livestock runs into billions of rupees though exact figures have not been calculated and complete restoration of roads, bridges, and electricity lines would take over a year, Major Gen. Hettiarachchi said.

Walapane and Hanguranketha in the Nuwara Eliya district were the most affected Divisional Secretariats by the landslides. Over 18,000 people were displaced and around 1,000 families still languish in temporary shelters.

He said the forces have been doing a great deal of work from the time the disaster took place. Around 250 military personnel are engaged in rescue and search operations and they continue to assist people in providing relief assistance.

The National Building and Research Organisation (NBRO) is studying the reasons for the earthslips and are identifying vulnerable areas to warn people to avoid living in those areas.

The Minister of Disaster Relief Services Amir Ali said the damage to the area is extensive and a lot of work will have to be done to resettle people and restore normalcy in the Nuwara Eliya district.

The Minister said that he would speedily attend to the restoration of electricity and find alternative land for the displaced people.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed the Ministry of Disaster Relief Services to allocate Rs. 5 million to provide assistance to the affected people in the Nuwara Eliya district.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Estate Infrastructure and Livelihood Development, S. J. Pathirana said it would take over six months to resettle people and restore their livelihood devastated by the recent landslides in the Walapane and Hanguranketha Divisional Secretary Divisions.

He said the destruction caused to house and property were as severe as a mini tsunami. Activities in many estates in the Nuwara Eliya District have come to a grinding halt as roads are badly damaged obstructing transportation.

The Secretary said his Ministry is coordinating with the Disaster Relief Services Ministry to shelter people in temporary camps and provide relief measures.

A large stock of food items, clothing, mats and medicine have been dispatched to the affected areas to be distributed by the Divisional Secretaries. The Government Agents in the Nuwara Eliya district have been instructed to deploy bulldozers and other machinery to clear the roads, the Secretary said.

The recent floods and landslides in the Hambantota and Nuwara Eliya districts brought the death toll to 18 while over 40,000 who lost their houses and belongings were affected.

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