Seven persons have died and over 100,000 civilians are displaced due to second wave of heavy rains in the Eastern, North Central and Central provinces of the island according to District Disaster Management Centre Friday. Four persons have died in Ampaa’rai district alone. While tens of thousands were hit by the disaster, the participation of even Sinhalese was poor at Mahinda Rajapksa government’s celebration of Sri Lanka’s Independence Day at Vihara Mahadevi Poongaa in the bordering district of Tissmaharagama at Kathirkaamam, sources in Ampaa’rai told TamilNet. People who lost their properties, houses and belongings have been left in the lurch due to failure of the Colombo government to provide any relief to restart their day to day life.
Residents of Thampaddai area in Thirukkoayil, Ampaa’rai, were struggling without food. Similar complaints were coming from Ea’raavoor-pattu and Chiththaa’ndi in Batticaloa.
Fourteen DS divisions in the Batticaloa district have been affected by the flood.
Five thousand families have been sheltered in 56 welfare centres and seven thousand are staying with their relatives and friends, Batticaloa District Government Agent Sundaram Arumainayagam said.
Villages in the Koara’laip-pattu South, Koara’laip-pattu North, Chengkaladi, Poaratheevup-pattu, Vavu’natheevu and Paddippazhai DS divisions have been completely devastated by the floods.
People are being evacuated amid total disruption of about 28 land routes that are impassable due to flood.
From Kiraan to Vantharumoolai along Batticaloa and Vaazhaichcheanai, the main road is under three feet of water.
11,347 members of 2,107 families displaced in Ampaa’rai district have been given shelter 35 welfare centres and about 995 families have been staying with their relatives and friends, according the figures from Thursday when the total number of people displaced in the district stood at 43,750 people.
Kalmunai, Chammaanthu’rai, Chaainthamaruthu, Poththuvil, Kaaraitheevu and Thirukkoayil are completely affected by the floods, according to District Disaster Management Centre officer A.C.Zia.
Sixty percent of schools in the districts of Batticaloa and Ampaa’rai have been closed, according to zonal education officers. Undergrads staying in the hostel of the South Eastern University have been sent home following flood water entering the university premise. In addition two fishermen died Thursday at Thirukoail when their boat toppled in wave; two more persons were washed away by flood at Lahugala.
Meanwhile Paduvaankarai people who were displaced in January floods are also staying in welfare centres due to the second wave of flood.
Due to severe cold that prevails in the area pregnant mothers, children and elders are facing severe hardship without proper food, blankets, bed sheets, clothes, milk food for children, drinking water and medicines.
Epidemics such as fever, diarrhea and other diseases are spreading among displaced and are admitted to government hospitals amid reports by the Provincial Minister of Health Mr.M.S.Subair and medical teams had been sent to control it.
The Batticaloa district recorded 285.3 mm rainfall in 78 hours and the adverse weather is expected to continue, according to Mr.S.Sivanathan, local officer of the Meteorology Department.
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