In most of the eastern, north central and parts of the northern districts of Sri Lanka, the rains have not stopped from the time it started on February 1. Floods, tank and bund breaches, landslides and damage to homes have been reported from at least 11 districts, the government has said.
The Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre put the numbers affected at 1.2 million and revised the death toll to 11. It said that more than 3 lakh people in 15 districts are in 744 temporary shelters. The most affected was the North-Central, Central, Wayamba, Eastern and Northern Provinces. More reports were coming in from the badly affected districts and the toll could go up. The number of houses damaged was put at 12,000. Cattle and wild life sanctuaries are at the receiving end and estimates of numbers killed were not available.
UN to revise appeal
Meanwhile, the United Nations said that it will revise its Flash Appeal of US$ 51 million in emergency funding at the end of this month in accordance with needs of both flood events.
The United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) Neil Buhne said that the impact on people of this second wave of floods is even greater than the first in large part as peoples' capacity to cope was already diminished, underscoring the vital need for international support to the national response.
The UN system is supporting the Disaster Management Centre-led assessment of the floods and landslide situation in affected districts to determine the extent and location of damages as well as immediate relief needs for non-food items, food and drinking water. Amidst hindrance to access caused by flooded roads, UN agencies continue responding with a wide range of supplies.
WFP support
The World Food Programme has distributed six-days of food supply to 1.9 lakh persons in Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) dispatched around 4,600 tarpaulins to Ampara and Trincomalee districts, while the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) supplied 9,000 plastic sheets and tarpaulins for flood-affected communities in Batticaloa and Ampara districts. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) provided 400 tents in the affected districts.
