Sri Lanka floods kill one, hundreds homeless
COLOMBO – Floods in Sri Lanka has killed a relief officer and left hundreds homeless, the island’s disaster management office said as evacuations of victims continued.
“So far one has died due to the weather situation,” Sudantha Ranasinghe, Director Disaster Management Centre said, identifying the deceased as a relief officer who was on duty in the Kirillawela area in the Western Province, who had been caught in the floods on his way back from duty.
Ranasinghe said another person had been injured due to floods and 236 people or 57 families have been evacuated to five relief camps in the flood affected areas.
According to the data issued by the Hydrology and Disaster Management Departments, several areas in Millakanda was experiencing major floods due to rising water level in Kalu Ganaga.
Flood warnings have also been issued to people around Keleni, Kalu, Ging and Nilwala.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology Department said showers or thundershowers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-Western Provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts and forecast fairly heavy showers above 75 mm at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa Provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Matara districts.
It also said several spells of showers were likely to occur in the Anuradhapura district and that strong winds about 40 kilometres per hour could be expected at times in western slope of the central hills, Northern, North-Central and North-Western provinces and in Trincomalee and Hambantota districts.
The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) has also issued levels one, two and three notices, the latter being ‘red’ notice, warning of possible landslides in several districts.
These included Levels 3, red notice, 2 and 1 for several vulnerable areas in Ratnapura; Level 2 and 1 for several areas in Kegalle and Matara and Level 1 for several areas in Colombo, Galle, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya.
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