Rains affect over 5000 Two deaths reported

Two deaths occurred and over 5,000 individuals were reportedly affected due to the persisting weather conditions around the island, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported.

According to its situation report issued yesterday (23), the DMC noted that 5,669 individuals from 1,426 families have been affected due to the heavy rains, floods, high winds, lightning and earthslips.

The affected areas, according to the DMC were Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Kurunegala, Gampaha, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Hambantota, Badulla, Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Batticaloa.

Reportedly, two deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours where one death was caused due to lightning in Batticaloa and the other caused by an earth slip in Wanduramba, Galle. The DMC reported that no one has been evacuated yet.

Meanwhile, the DMC issued warnings to residents near the Kalu Ganga, Gin Ganga and Nilwala Ganga due to the rising water levels due to continuous showers.

The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) issued landslide warnings for three Districts, for the next 24 hours and accordingly, the yellow landslide warning was issued for the Agalawatta, Bulathsinhala, Dodangoda, Ingiriya, Palindanuwara, Walallawita, Dehiowita, Galle Four Gravets, Imaduwa, Nagoda, Neluwa and Thawalama Divisional Secretariats and surrounding areas.

The NBRO further issued amber warnings to Mathugama, Yatiyanthota, Elpitiya and Niyagma cautioning of landslides, slope failures, rock falls, cutting failures and ground subsidence which had exceeded 100 milimetres (mm) and to be on alert for possibilities of the latter and to be ready to evacuate to a safe location if the need arose.

Meanwhile, issuing a weather advisory for land areas, the Department of Meteorology predicted that the prevailing showery condition over the island is expected to continue up to tomorrow (25).

“Showers/thundershowers will occur o ver most parts of the island. Very heavy falls above 200 mm are likely at some places in the Southern, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Western Provinces.

Fairly heavy falls above 75 mm are likely at some places in the North-Western, Northern, Uva and Eastern Provinces. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by lightning activity,” the Department stated.

(Source: Ceylon Today – By Thameenah Razeek)