Rain, rain, rain!

The Districts of Colombo, Kalutara, Galle, Gampaha, Puttalam, Nuwara Eliya, and Trincomalee have been affected by floods caused by the two tropical cyclones ‘Laila’ and ‘Ward.’ Colombo experienced more than 350 mm of rain over the last five days. According to Sri Lankan national news, around 440,000 people have been affected, including 200,000 who have been temporarily displaced, and the total deaths stood at 17 today (Wednesday 19 May). Sri Lanka’s airport runway is submerged by torrential floods, and flights have been cancelled.

Many low lying areas in the vicinity of Kalu Ganga (the main river in Kalutara district) are submerged due to the heavy rainfalls. There are also obstructions to transport. Landslides may also be experienced due to the inclement weather. ReliefWeb has published maps classifying the current landslide risks in the different DS divisions. The many flood-affected DS divisions are also mapped by ReliefWeb, here.

Siripala informs in an e-mail 18 May: It is raining, raining and raining all the time here. Flooding started everywhere. I got to know that there are about 350 families need immediate help of food, cloths and milk powder for the infants in Batagoda, Yala, Anguruwatota and the Ballapitiya area.

Floods in Sri Lanka are expected to get worse with the arrival of south-west monsoon rains (Yala) over the weekend. Residents close to river banks in low lying areas are most at risk, but many are staying at their home in fear of their belonging being robbed.

To be continued.