Ministry admits it was not prepared for disaster
The Disaster Management Ministry exposed its unpreparedness to deal with a disaster situation, admitting it lacks stocks of basic items such as blankets, life jackets, umbrellas, torches or even boxes of matches to distribute in such situations.
In response to this week’s flood havoc that crippled the nation, the Ministry of Disaster Management was in shortage of basic humani- tarian needs for an immediate response.
A document, prepared on Friday by the ministry to share with UN and other international donors, seeking their assistance indicated that there are no stocks of drinking water ( bottles of five liters or above), blankets, life jackets, mobile toilets, umbrellas, torches and boxes of matches .
The Disaster Management Centre, set up specifically to deal with such tragedies, appears to have been unprepared. (see related story on Page 1). Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa had left Sri Lanka before the floods to represent President Sirisena at an international event in Mexico.
The President has also directed the immediate purchase of 10,000 life jackets to be airdropped to those who are still trapped on roofs or trees due to the floods.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department warned yesterday that heavy rains in excess of 100 millimetres were expected in the Western, Southern, Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces and several North Western province areas tomorrow and Tuesday.
A total of 221,738 people from 60,472 families were affected by the flood and landslide havoc, while 273 houses were fully damaged and about 700 partially.
Ratnapura, Galle, Kalutara and Matara have been the hardest hit areas by the worst floods since 2003.
Most of the dead were victims of landslides, with Kalutara being the worst affected. Almost all the confirmed deaths in the district occurred due to large landslides in the Bulathsinhala area.
The security forces are spearheading rescue efforts. About 1,500 personnel from 15 battalions of the Army were engaged in rescue operations yesterday. The Navy had deployed 86 specially trained rescue teams consisting of about 500 personnel along with 86 dinghy boats.
The Air Force, meanwhile, deployed six helicopters and a Beechcraft observation aircraft. The navy has rescued more than 2,000 people and the Air Force 26 by last afternoon.
The Government announced last afternoon that the security forces and relief teams had reached all disaster areas which had been previously inaccessible.
Rs. 150 million has so far been released as emergency disaster relief, officials said.
Mass Media and Information Deputy Minister Karunarathna Paranawithana told journalists yesterday that some people had asked whether they could cremate those whose bodies had been recovered. They had been advised to keep the bodies in the mortuary of the nearest hospital as post-mortem inquests needed to be carried out and death certificates issued, he said.
Meanwhile, National Water Supply and Drainage Board ( NWSDB) Chairman K. A. Ansar said the water supply to Rathnapura and Matara had been disrupted as the floods and landslides had damaged the pipelines