The deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, which caused severe flooding across the country last week, intensified into a cyclone on Friday and made a landfall in Tamil Nadu yesterday evening, as the country continued to reel from its severe impact.
Meteorology Department Director of Forecasting, Ajith Wijemanna said the heavy rains and strong winds are expected to subside in the next three days. However, rainfall of up to 75mm is forecast in the Northern Province today due to the storm’s lingering impact.
Wijemanna has advised fishermen to avoid going out to sea until further notice.
Floods have caused extensive damage to irrigation systems in the Ampara, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee districts, said Director General of the Irrigation Department, Engineer A. Gunasekara. Repairing this critical infrastructure could cost an estimated Rs 6,000 million. Farmers in these areas face heavy losses as their paddy fields, sown on November 15, remain inundated, he said. Sources at the Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board said around 375,000 acres of paddy lands have been submerged by the floods. Damage assessment will begin when the water recedes.
A spokesman for the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said that 465,746 people have been affected countrywide, with 16 fatalities reported. The hardest-hit areas are the Northern and Eastern Provinces, where 48,080 and 74,577 families, have been affected.
Twelve deaths were recorded in Ampara, which also reported over 46,817 flood victims. Two deaths each were reported in the Puttalam and Kurunegala districts, while Vavuniya and Badulla reported one fatality each. Some of these deaths were caused due to landslides.
Strong winds and floods destroyed 98 houses and partially damaged 2,333 homes during the peak of the storm on November 26 and 27.
The Navy has deployed 10 relief teams to Ampara, Trincomalee, and the Anuradhapura districts, providing essential services such as cooked meals, transportation via dinghies, and rescue operations.
These teams remain active as of November 30, while additional teams are on standby to address further emergencies.
Flood also affected other areas including Navinnaweli in Ampara; Mailapancheni, Safinagar, Muththuchchennai (Thuwakkuwa Junction), Mutur Junction, and Kattaparichchan in Trincomalee and Parakramapura (Ma Oya) and Buddangala (Weli Ela) in Anuradhapura.
The Sri Lanka Army has mobilised troops from the 23 Infantry Division to assist flood victims in the Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa districts, focussing on rescue efforts and providing disaster relief.
The DMC reported that 8,084 families have been evacuated to safer locations. Relief efforts continue to prioritise the distribution of essential supplies and recovery operations in the worst-hit areas.
