 Heavy rain and strong wind damages 1,222 houses BY SARAH HANNAN As the intermonsoon season brings strong winds spreading thunderstorms and heavy rains between the period of 8- 18 April, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) recorded a total of 9,831 persons being affected, with 1,222 houses and 130 small or medium-sized business premises partially damaged, along with damage to 16 critical infrastructures due to strong wind and heavy rain. Twenty-six persons from five families were sheltered at a safe location in the Nuwara Eliya District due to their houses sustaining damage caused by strong winds. On Thursday (16), 19 houses had been partially damaged by strong winds in the Anuradhapura District. District Disaster Management Co-ordination Unit Assistant Director Deshapriya Bandara, speaking to The Sunday Morning, said: “Seventeen houses in Galnewa and two houses in Thalawa were damaged by strong winds on Thursday. After visiting the areas and assessing the extent of the damage caused by the wind, we noticed that they were partially damaged. We have paid for the repair of the roofs of the two houses in Thalawa, and arrangements are in place to settle the payments for the houses in Galnewa.” Earlier last week, about 1,095 houses were damaged due to strong wind and ice rain in the Puttalam District. The DMC had informed the National Disaster Relief Services Centre to provide relief to the people affected by the damage. It was also reported that strong wind damaged 125 small and medium-sized business places and important infrastructure in these areas was also damaged. The National Disaster Services Centre released about Rs. 5.2 million to provide relief to the people affected by this situation, while the National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF) will provide the relevant assistance to the people of the disaster. Meanwhile, former Minister Duminda Dissanayake, on his official Facebook page, had stated that he had visited the two houses in Thalawa and had instructed the Disaster Management Officer of the area to immediately pay the monies to repair their homes. Adverse weather conditions were reported from the Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Gampaha, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Matara, Hambantota, Galle, Mannar, and Anuradhapura Districts.