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Kelanimulla: Where the waves took everything away
Residents at Kelanimulla watched in horror as their homes were engulfed in water right before their eyes. Thousands were displaced, others sought refuge on rooftops or the top stories of their homes, awaiting rescue boats.
In some homes only the rooftops were visible. Furniture and other belongings were gone with the waters. Some desperate people were even seen trying to cross the water despite the strong currents.
Anthony Rupasinghe, a 48-year-old mason said everything he had earned had been washed away, this included his grandchildren’s books, clothes and furniture. “The birth certificates of my family members, money, furniture worth hundreds of thousands of rupees all gone,” he lamented. “I can only stare at the rooftop of my house.”
Mr. Rupasinghe’s family was taking refuge at the Kithsirimewan Raja Maha Viharaya. “My house was built with money I saved after more than three years of hard work,” he said. “Now we have only the clothes we wore the night we fled.”
“My grandson is sitting for the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam this year and my granddaughter is sitting for the Ordinary Level Exam. They have lost all their books.”
Lakshman Perera lives near the Kelaniya-Battaramulla bridge. He said more than 50 residents were now at the temple. Food and sanitation facilities were being provided by the temple.
Mr. Perera said even the nearby army camp was waist-deep in water. “The Army provided their boats to the furthest areas but people were still trapped in their houses,” he recounted. “No politician came there, only police, public health inspectors and volunteers helped us.” 
Pradeep Jayasuriya recalled how he had to run for his life from the rushing waters. Waves of water came into his house on Monday night, around 9 p.m. “The waves gushed in while we slept,” he said. “The sound at the door woke us up and we saw water coming in. My two children were crying. I sent them to a relative’s house as I knew a disaster was imminent.”
Mr. Jayasuriya and his wife dragged their furniture to a neighbour’s house some distance away. They spent the night there. The next morning, when they stepped down from the bed, they found themselves standing in water. The water level soon rose and they shifted to a two-storey house nearby.
Residents sought refuge at Kithsiri Mewan Raja Maha Viharaya