Tropical Cyclone 04B - Dec 2000

Cyclone 04B swept across central Sri Lanka on 26 December, bringing 48 hours of heavy rains and winds gusting at 120 km per hour. It made landfall on the eastern coast in a 150 km wide band from Tirukkovil to Trincomalee, then moved north east and left Sri Lanka's western coast between Mannar and Puttalam one day later.

Provisional assessments carried out by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) indicated that a total of 42,000 families were affected by the winds and floods. Many houses were destroyed, especially on the east coast where storm surges swept 100 metres inland. The numbers affected were revised to 60,000 families after a more detailed survey completed on 6 January 2001. (IFRC, 22 Feb 2001)