Flood displaces 45 thousand families

45 thousand families have now been displaced due to the consequences of bad weather.
Measures are being taken at divisional secretariat level to assist the victims. Director of the national disaster relief services centre N.D.Hettiarachchi says the government has allocated 23 million rupees provide relief to those affected.

Special boat services are being operated to assist displaced persons. The relevant divisional secretaries said that steps are being taken to provide cooked food to the displaced. So far 11 persons have died in weather related incidence.

The Sri Lanka Red Cross has come forward to assist flood victims in he districts of Galle, Colombo and Gamapaha. The Red Cross also invites public contributions in this regard.

Minister of disaster management Mahinda Samarasinghe says immediate measures have been taken to provide dry rations to those affected in the Galle district. A meeting in this connection was held at Galle district secretariat today. The minister said assistance would be provided by air to areas cut off by floods. A meeting was also held at the Colombo municipal council today to discuss assistance to persons misplaced in the Colombo District.

Meanwhile Soldiers and Navy personnel are engaged in evacuating people marooned in floods in Sabaragamuwa Province. Forty fire soldiers have been detailed by the Sub Area Headquarters in Kuruwita to the Disaster Management Centre in RATNAPURA.  The rescue operations are being conducted in Kalawana, Nivithigala, Ayagama, Kiriella, Elapatha and Kuruwita areas, which are severely affected by floods caused by continuous heavy downpour. Eleven rescue teams from the Sri Lanka Navy have been involved in relief operations in areas  severely affected by floods in Ratnapura, Galle and Kalutara districts. The eleven teams include divers who are involved  in evacuating flood victims marooned in affected areas in Neluwa Thawalama, Udugama, Nagoda and Hiniduma in the GALLE district, in Matugama, Bulathsinhala, Baduraliya and Kukuleganga in the Kalutara district and in Ratnapura and Avissawella too