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Relief for what?
Flood ReliefRelief for what?
Floods and Landslides in Sri Lanka Leave Dozens Dead
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — At least 37 people were killed in landslides and flash floods and hundreds of thousands were displaced, Sri Lankan officials said on Wednesday, as torrential rains and gusting winds continued to lash the country just days after the beginning of the monsoon season.
Rescue workers recovered at least 15 bodies from two major landslides in the Kegalle district, about 75 miles east of the capital, Colombo, said Pradeep Kodippili, a spokesman for the Disaster Management Center ofSri Lanka. Officials said the death toll from the flooding was likely to rise.
One of the landslides buried three villages in the mountainous region of Aranayake, claiming at least 14 lives, with more than 130 people still missing and feared dead, said Maj. Gen. Sudantha Ranasinghe, the commanding officer in charge of the rescue operation.
“Military personnel and medics are still digging through the rubble from the mudslide to find survivors despite the risk of further landslides in the area,” General Ranasinghe said.
Photo
Survivors of the landslide in the Aranyake region of Sri Lanka on Wednesday.CreditEranga Jayawardena/Associated Press
Earlier, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society had said that 200 families remained unaccounted for after the Aranayake landslide, though Mr. Kodippili said the government was unable to confirm that figure.
President Maithripala Sirisena toured the landslide area on Wednesday and said the government’s priority was locating the missing and providing relief and shelter to the displaced. “The loss is devastating,” he tweeted from his official account after the visit.
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While little is known about what happened in the landslide areas, Red Cross officials said they had heard complaints from residents in the affected villages that the country’s disaster management agencies had failed to issue any alerts or evacuation warnings.
“The Disaster Management Center does not have the resources and manpower to go door to door in the endangered areas,” said Mahieash Johnney, a senior manager at the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society. “It relies on getting these messages across to residents at risk from landslides, by using loudspeakers and megaphones. These warnings don’t always get transmitted in time.”
Meteorologists had predicted a stronger-than-average monsoon season in Sri Lanka this year, the effects of a waning El Niño. Though the tropical island nation in the Indian Ocean frequently experiences intense monsoons and flooding, this year’s devastation was unusually fierce for so early in the rainy season.
The Sri Lanka Meteorological Department said that a deep low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal that had become a tropical depression by Wednesday had caused the rains, but that it was moving away from the island.
The Sri Lanka Red Cross was managing one of at least four camps near the Aranayake landslide to provide relief to survivors, Mr. Johnney said.
The Red Cross said 19 of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts had experienced flash flooding, a result of ceaseless rains across most parts of the island since Monday.
Three hundred members of the military were deployed in a huge rescue operation to find survivors in Aranayake early on Wednesday. Thirteen bodies were recovered from the rubble, a military spokesman said, adding that most of the victims had been buried in their homes by the mudslide Tuesday night.
By early Wednesday morning, the Disaster Management Center had recorded 23 injuries related to flash flooding in the southwestern parts of the island. Some parts of Colombo also suffered flooding.
Not one post of gratitude from the usual Sri Lankan posters who otherwise rush to crow and crib about any negative topic under the sun.
No surprises at all.
No surprises people like you help others only for their complements. Basic humanity dictates that one should help others in times of distress and disasters even if they are thankful or not which BTW they are. Your need for appreciation is what you should address rather than others being grateful or not. Same thing happened in Nepal where the media was busy praising India's relief work when thousands of people died. Self introspect my friend. You become bigger by your deeds not by the recognition you get for them.Not one post of gratitude from the usual Sri Lankan posters who otherwise rush to crow and crib about any negative topic under the sun.
No surprises at all.
Not one post of gratitude from the usual Sri Lankan posters who otherwise rush to crow and crib about any negative topic under the sun.
No surprises at all.
Firstly, check other threads where they did thanked India for their help. Secondly, India is not doing them any favours. Basic humanity dictates such actions. Thirdly, come tomorrow if such tragedy hits India, Sri Lanka will reciprocate as well as they can.
Stop being an ***.
Not one post of gratitude from the usual Sri Lankan posters who otherwise rush to crow and crib about any negative topic under the sun.
No surprises at all.
New Recruit
Irony here is that narcissistic comments like yours is the reason why sri lankans dont like indians . We are not doing any big favour to sri lanka here . Its just humanitarian aid . They would probably do the same for us .Not one post of gratitude from the usual Sri Lankan posters who otherwise rush to crow and crib about any negative topic under the sun.
No surprises at all.