Widescale disruption and many dead from cyclone, DMC says
View(s):While the financial cost of Cyclone Ditwah is still under review, a quick study by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) as at December 2 found more than 1.8 million people affected, 410 confirmed fatalities and 336 individuals reported missing.
Under the Joint Rapid Needs Assessment, the DMC said vegetable prices have spiked by 30 to 200 per cent due to supply shortages, while rice and dhal show slight increases, requiring ongoing monitoring to support food security efforts.
Some 233,015 persons and 64,483 families are sheltered in 1,441 safety centres while 565 houses were reported to be fully damaged while 20,271 are reported to be partially damaged.
Around 200 roads and 15 bridges have been damaged, and 277,877 buildings have been inundated.
While 23 per cent of the population was already living in poverty, another 10 per cent are at risk of falling below the poverty line during this crisis.
Prior to the cyclone, an estimated 563,950 ha of paddy was cultivated by 774,996 farmers and were at a critical growth stages. Large areas are now submerged or waterlogged following intense and prolonged rainfall, resulting in substantial expected yield losses, the DMC said.
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said it was deeply saddened” by the devastation and added it was working closely with the DMC, which oversees Sri Lanka’s primary emergency response network in channelling relief in the form of food and finances.
CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd said, within just 24 hours of committing support, it had deployed its full fleet of critical disaster-response machinery to assist emergency repair operations along one of the country’s most vital transport corridors.
Twelve 12 heavy-duty machines and a team of skilled personnel were sent to the Central Province to accelerate road clearance, slope stabilisation, and infrastructure recovery, the company added.
All telephone and internet communication networks disrupted due to the recent disaster were expected to be fully restored by Thursday.
The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) said it was gathering information on the extent to which export-oriented companies, their factories, production plants, and supply chains have been affected.
SLT-MOBITEL introduced a free ‘247 Helpline’, in collaboration with the University of Colombo, offering round-the-clock medical advice.
Sri Lanka’s national telecommunication operators, in close coordination with government authorities, intensified round-the-clock recovery efforts to reconnect communities.
TikTok launched a new search guide designed to help users in Sri Lanka access authoritative and up-to-date information during the ongoing floods.
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