News
Flood waters, lightning and landslips claim 10 lives
Ten deaths in the last two weeks were caused by bad weather conditions – five persons drowned, three were killed by lightning, and two were buried under a landslip and a collapsing house, while a crocodile was swept by flood waters into a hotel in Tangalle.
in Hambantota, one person died when an earth-slip flattened his house, and a resident of Kahawatta, Ratnapura, died when his house collapsed on top of him.
Three persons drowned in Galle Neluwa, and two drowned in Matara and Badulla, while lightning claimed three lives in Bibile, Dambulla and Ratnapura.
Heavy rains damaged more than 600 houses in the Southern, Central and Uva Provinces, displacing some 3,000 people. More than 400 people have been given temporary accommodation in six camps in the Nuwara Eliya district.
The District Secretariat divisions of Ambagamuwa, Kotmale and Nuwara Eliya were the worst affected. In the Southern Province, flood waters entered homes in the Hambantota, Galle and Matara districts.
Landslides, fires and power cuts were experienced in Nuwara Eliya and Kandy, in the Central Province, while flash floods occurred in Badulla, in the Uva province.
Some 3,000 persons were affected by floods in the Akuressa, Pasgoda, Kotapola, Malimbada and Dikwella divisions in the Matara area, and another 1,500 persons were affected by floods in the Hambantota, Tangalle, Sooriyawewa, Lunugamwehera, Walasmulla, Belliatta and Ambalantota areas.
The road connecting Hatton and Nuwara Eliya was blocked by an earth-slip, and commuters had to use roads connecting Talawakelle, Pundalu-oya and Tawalamatanne. Floods have disrupted traffic on the Akuressa- Godapitiya and Akuressa-Kamburupitiya routes.
On Thursday (November 29), more than 90 houses were damaged and 300 persons displaced when the Uda Walawe sluice gates were opened to release excess water. Four houses were completely destroyed, according to a Disaster Management Center spokesman, who said the Divisional Secretariat has promised to rebuild the houses.
Inter-monsoonal rains and evening thunderstorms will prevail over the next few weeks, said Meteorology Department Deputy Director S. R. Jayasekara.
“Rains will develop inland and may spread to other areas, depending on wind direction,” he said. “The public should be alert about lightning and avoid areas vulnerable to lightning strikes. In the next few weeks we will experience the North-East monsoon rains, with normal rain showers.”
Lightning has claimed 48 lives so far this year.
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