HelpAge Sri Lanka helps Aranayaka victims | Sunday Observer

HelpAge Sri Lanka helps Aranayaka victims

2 April, 2017
HelpAge officials distributing food items and household goods to victims
HelpAge officials distributing food items and household goods to victims

It was 5 pm and suddenly, we heard a loud noise. As it was raining with lightening we thought it was a thunderbolt, and didn’t pay much attention. All were in their homes, and children had gone to bed early that gloomy evening. The noise became worse and we heard people crying and screaming. We rushed out to see what was happening. Trees were uprooted and houses had collapsed. Heavy mounds of earth had covered several houses.

These are some of the comments made by the residents to the officials of HelpAge Sri Lanka during their visit to the Aranayaka landslide area recently. This was the second occasion that HelpAge distributed food items, non food items and household goods worth over Rs nine million to people who became victims of the massive flood and landslide disaster which occurred on May 19, 2016.

Piyasena Kumara, 61, a driver and father of three, a resident of Aranayaka: “About 80 houses in the village were affected by the landslide and nearly 180 people buried alive. Fortunately, hundreds from other villages rushed to our village in search of the missing.”

Kusumalatha Peris, 39, a mother of two:

“All my family members including my husband, a carpenter and two sons were buried alive within minutes following the first landslide that hit the area.We never thought an incident of this nature would occur during our lifetime.

When asked about her future plans she said, she and many of her relatives whose houses were raised to the ground have no future plans other than to engage in meritorious deeds to invoke merit on the dead.

Nandasena Peris, a farmer and father of two said, not only their houses were inundated due to the landslide, but their drinking water wells too were polluted. “We lost many animals, and other assets and valuables. It resulted in the loss of income to many families in the area. People have already informed the matter to the area Divisional Secretariat, but not received a favourable reply, yet”.

Chitharalatha 38:

“We couldn’t even find the location where our land was, as almost all houses were under earth and rubble. Of the 560 families affected, over 200 families are still living in temporarily built tents donated by social service organizations, and their only hope is to get houses, which they requested from the Government”.

Kusumsiri Perera, 58, a retired employee of the Ceylon Transport Board said his expectations of constructing a house and starting a farm were destroyed within a few seconds as he lost his entire family in the landslide.”

Kanthi Samaraweera 42, requested Government authorities, Divisional Secretariats and Grama Niladaris in the Kegalle District to visit their small huts and provide them with essential goods and building material to construct houses of their own. 

 

 

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