Attachments
GLIDE FL-2008-000079-LKA
This bulletin is being issued for information only. Flooding in the west and south of the Island of Sri Lanka has caused for hundreds of thousands of people to be in urgent need of emergency supplies. The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) has been working in the affected areas since the last three days, with funds made available from its headquarters as well as from the International Federation Office in Colombo and Partner National Societies with presence in the country. The approximately CHF 26,000 received so far have served for the delivery of immediate relief supplies.
The SLRCS, with the support of the International Federation, has determined that external assistance is not required, and is therefore not seeking funding or other assistance from donors at this time.
The Situation
The western and southern districts of Sri Lanka have been seriously affected during the past three days due to heavy rains. The low depression in the Bay of Bengal has caused the early monsoon season rains to be more intense than usual, leading to flooding in the districts of Kalutara, Galle, Ratnapura, Gampaha, Colombo, Matara, and Kegalle.
Approximately 90,000 families (around 360,000 people) are believed to have been affected by the torrential rains so far. The highest number of affected people has been reported to be in the western district of Kalutara, where more than 50,000 people are currently in need of immediate relief supplies.
Transportation routes have also been disturbed as a result of the flooding. The main roads that stretch from north to south and from east to west in the Kalutara district are currently under water as the Kalu Ganga river overflowed its banks. Several sections are completely flooded, causing all transportation to be suspended in this and some of the other affected districts.
The Meteorology Department has predicted that heavy rains shall recede in the next few days, but the districts of Kegalle, Ratnapura, Kalutara, Galle and Matara have been identified by the local authorities as landslide prone. Further, according to the Department, the month of June will probably see several such heavy rains.
How we work
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.
The International Federation's activities are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
Global Agenda Goals:
- Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.
- Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies. - Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.
- Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.
Contact information
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Sri Lanka: Neville Nanayakkara, Director General, Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, Colombo; phone 94.11.269.4487; fax 94.11.269.5434; email:, directorgen@redcross.lk,
In Sri Lanka: Paul Emes, Head of Office, Sri Lanka Office, Colombo; phone 94.11.452.8698; fax 94.11.268.2671: email: paul.emes@ifrc.org
In New Delhi: Al Panico, Head of Regional Delegation, South Asia, New Delhi; phone: +91.11.2411.1125; fax: +91 11 241 11128; email: al.panico@ifrc.org
In Malaysia: Amy Gaver, Head, Disaster Management Unit, Asia Pacific Zone, Kuala Lumpur; phone: + 60.3.9207.5724; fax: +60.3.2161.1210; mobile: +60.12.220.1174; email: amy.gaver@ifrc.org