{"id":53263,"date":"2017-05-28T20:44:44","date_gmt":"2017-05-29T00:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=53263"},"modified":"2017-05-28T20:45:06","modified_gmt":"2017-05-29T00:45:06","slug":"dangerous-monsoon-deluge-brings-death-destructiondisplacement-and-despair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=53263","title":{"rendered":"Dangerous Monsoon Deluge Brings Death, Destruction, Displacement and Despair."},"content":{"rendered":"

The nationwide despair over the deadly deluge grew yesterday as the death toll from the monsoonal floods and landslides topped the 150 mark, making it the worst natural disaster in the country since the 2004 tsunami.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Officials last night put the number of dead at 151 with 111 missing or unaccounted for following torrential rain which led to earth slips in 15 districts covering mainly three provinces. Over 90 people were hospitalised.<\/p>\n

The number of displaced was nearly half a million as the Government sought global support to manage the relief effort.<\/p>\n

Ratnapura suffered the most casualties with 71 dead followed by Kalutara\u2019s 43 while in terms of people affected Galle saw over 140,000 people displaced followed by Matara. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday, upon arriving from a State visit to Australia, chaired a top level meeting and ordered immediate relief. Ministers and MPs were also busy visiting affected areas and overseeing relief work, which was largely carried out by the security forces. <\/p>\n

While people and civil society groups clamoured to rush essential goods to those displaced by the disaster, the Government mounted a global appeal for help. Closest neighbour India was first to respond by rushing urgent relief supplies over the weekend through two ships while more help is expected today from other friendly nations, with China committing $ 2.2 million worth of relief IN-1support. <\/p>\n

The Government has appealed for bottled water, clothing and dry rations for those displaced.<\/p>\n

An AFP report said emergency teams on Sunday rushed food and water to half a million Sri Lankans displaced by the island\u2019s worst floods for more than a decade, as the death toll climbed to 151.<\/p>\n

Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said relief operations had intensified following a break in the monsoon rains, with medical teams reinforcing hospitals in affected districts.<\/p>\n

The official death toll had climbed to 151 with 111 people still listed as missing, Senaratne said. Another 95 were in hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cAid is now getting into the remotest areas which remained inaccessible in the past two days,\u201d Senaratne told reporters, adding there were help lines people could call if they needed assistance.<\/p>\n

Most victims were killed by landslides, not the flood waters, as their homes on hillsides were buried under torrents of mud and rock.<\/p>\n

Nearly 2,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. Almost half a million people had been forced from their homes and were sheltering in Government buildings or with friends and relatives.<\/p>\n

The floods and landslides in the south and west of the island were the worst for 14 years.<\/p>\n

Water levels in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka\u2019s gem district east of Colombo, had subsided but many villages in Kalutara, south of the capital, were still under water, officials said.<\/p>\n

Residents in the south of the island also face the threat of crocodile attacks after a river known for its dangerous wildlife burst its banks overnight.<\/p>\n

Save the Children said about a tenth of those displaced were aged below five. It raised fears of stagnant floodwater becoming breeding grounds for dengue-spreading mosquitoes and noted that young children were more vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Medical teams were sent to the worst-hit areas to help prevent an outbreak of waterborne diseases.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the expertise to deal with this situation,\u201d Senaratne said, adding that cholera and diarrhoea had been successfully prevented during past floods.<\/p>\n

The Government withdrew an evacuation order for thousands of residents in the southern district of Matara as water levels subsided.<\/p>\n

Soldiers took advantage of the lull in rains to clear access to most of the affected areas and the military has deployed helicopters, boats and amphibious vehicles to distribute aid pouring in from residents in areas of the country unaffected by floods.<\/p>\n

The United Nations said it would donate water containers, water purification tablets and tarpaulin sheets while the World Health Organization will support medical teams in affected areas.<\/p>\n

The meteorological department said the rains ended a prolonged drought that had threatened agriculture as well as hydropower generation.<\/p>\n

The flooding is the worst since May 2003 when 250 people were killed and 10,000 homes destroyed after a similarly powerful monsoon, officials said.<\/p>\n

Monsoon rains last year caused flooding and landslides, killing more than 100 people.<\/p>\n

Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, who is heading the search and rescue mission, told the AP news agency that he does not expect to find any more survivors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation is very dire,\u201d Al Jazeera\u2019s Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Matara in southern Sri Lanka, said. \u201cThe water levels are receding, but very slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sheer scale and number of landslides as well as flooding around the country have stretched authorities,\u201d she said, adding that entire villages are still under water.<\/p>\n

President orders relief to those affected by inclement weather and Tells Cabinet not to allow rules and regulations to hinder relief work<\/strong><\/p>\n

President Maithripala Sirisena has said a comprehensive program will be implemented in the future to reconstruct the houses destroyed due to the inclement weather.<\/p>\n

The President further said that the program will be implemented based on the information received from relevant institutions. He made these remarks while participating in a special meeting held to discuss immediate steps for necessary relief measures for those affected by the prevailing unfavourable weather conditions at the Kalutara District Secretariat on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The final decision on implementing an appropriate mechanism with regard to granting compensation for the dead and providing relief to those displaced and deprived of their livelihoods will be made following meetings with relevant authorities next week, the President said.<\/p>\n

President Sirisena also said that Cabinet will make a decision at its next meeting to initiate a new process at national and district levels to face the challenges that frequently arise due to natural disasters.<\/p>\n

During this meeting the President instructed officials not to be limited by rules and regulations as well as circulars when providing relief to those affected and further instructed them to fulfill their responsibilities in a practical and proper manner.<\/p>\n

He further instructed the officials to continuously carry forward the relief measures to provide all facilities including food, drinking water and medical treatment to those affected. He added that Ministers and MPs representing the affected areas had the chief responsibility of ensuring the wellbeing of their constituents.<\/p>\n

President Sirisena extended his gratitude to the security forces, Police, non-governmental organisations and public for rendering their great service for rescue and relief operations. <\/p>\n

The President conveyed his condolences over the Sri Lanka Air Force member who died during a flood rescue operation.<\/p>\n

The President summoned this special meeting as soon as he returned to the country after concluding a successful state visit to Australia.<\/p>\n

Ministers Vajira Abeywardena, Rajitha Senarathne, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera, Chief Minister of the Western Province Isura Devapriya, MP Malith Jayathilaka, Local Government Ministers, Secretary to the President P.B. Abeykoon, Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi, Kalutara District Secretary, public servants, security forces Commanders, the IGP and senior security officers participated in the meeting.<\/p>\n

Govt. allocates Rs. 150 m for immediate relief measures <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Government has increased the amount of money allocated for the preliminary relief measures in seven districts affected by floods and landslides, Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said on Saturday.<\/p>\n

According to the Minister, President Sirisena on Monday will declare the cost of compensation to be paid for the loss of life and damage to property.<\/p>\n

Dr. Senaratne said a decision was made to prepare meals for those displaced at one select place with the intention of providing them with hygienically prepared food and for it to be distributed through the District and the Divisional Secretaries. The security forces will provide assistance in this regard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government has taken the responsibility of restoring the living conditions of the affected people,\u201d the Minister said.<\/p>\n


\nCourtesy:Daily FT<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The nationwide despair over the deadly deluge grew yesterday as the death toll from the monsoonal floods and landslides topped the 150 mark, making it the worst natural disaster in the country since the 2004 tsunami. Officials last night put the number of dead at 151 with 111 missing or unaccounted for following torrential rain …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Dangerous Monsoon Deluge Brings Death, Destruction, Displacement and Despair.’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53263"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53263"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53265,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53263\/revisions\/53265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}