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Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Special relief measures for those affected by torrential rains

Measures have been taken to expedite the process of providing necessary relief for those who affected by torrential rains and storms in Jaffna, Minister of Disaster Relief Services Amir Ali Sahabdeen said.

The Disaster Management Centre reports that over 136,298 persons belonging to 36,730 families in five districts in the island have been displaced as a result of these natural disasters and the displaced are temporally sheltered in temples, schools and other public buildings.

Almost 110493 persons from 30591 families in Jaffna, 23104 persons from 5136 families in Mannar, 2701 persons from 968 families in the Trincomalee district, 30 families in the Monaragala district and five families in the Kandy district have been affected by the rains.

He pointed out that nearly 1,941 houses in Jaffna have been totally destroyed while 5,104 houses were slightly damaged. Rs 3 million each has been allocated to Jaffna and Mannar while another Rs 2 million each has been allocated for relief services in Trincomalee and Kilinochchi.

In addition, the Jaffna District Secretariat has been instructed to provide dry rations sufficient for three days to those who were affected by floods in the areas of Mannar, Kilinochchi, and Trincomalee.