Sri Lanka – Floods and Storms Leave 9 Dead and 5,000 Displaced

At least 9 people have died and around 5,000 displaced in Sri Lanka after a period of heavy rain and storms which have caused flooding, landslides and wind damage.

According to Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC), 4 people have died in floods in the district of Kalutara, 2 in Galle and 2 in Rathnapura. One person died after strong winds downed trees in Kegalle district.

DMC said that a total of 5,834 people from 1,318 families are currently displaced and staying in 21 temporary relocation centers in the districts of Colombo (5,654 people), Kalutara (58) and Nuwara Eliya (122).

Around 1,700 homes and buildings have been severely damaged, with around 35 totally destroyed.

Sri Lanka’s Department of Meteorology said that 334.1 mm of rain fell in 24 hours to 07 October, 2018 in Podiwela, Galle district.

The department said more severe weather is possible due to a deep depression located in the Bay of Bengal, adding that “very heavy falls above 150 mm can be expected at some places in Western, North-western, Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara districts.”

The country suffered major flooding in May this year when at least 12 people died and thousands were displaced. Over 140 people died in massive flooding and landslides in May 2017.

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