- Rescue missions continue as death toll climbs to 618; 209 missing
- 2 million people affected nationwide
- Rs. 72.2 b relief announced
The hope of finding more survivors is fading as Sri Lanka enters the second week after Cyclone Ditwah triggered widespread floods and landslides, leaving hundreds dead, hundreds more missing, and thousands displaced.
Rescue and evacuation operations by the armed forces, supported by residents, continue, but authorities warn that the chances of finding additional survivors are diminishing.
According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), the death toll has reached 618, with 209 people still missing.
Kandy was the hardest-hit district, reporting 232 fatalities, followed by Nuwara Eliya (89), Badulla (83), Kurunegala (61), and Puttalam (34).
Other affected districts include Monaragala, Matale, Colombo, Batticaloa, Kegalle, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Jaffna, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura, Hambantota, Galle, Mannar, Gampaha, and Vavuniya.
When contacted by The Sunday Morning, DMC Director – Awareness Pradeep Kodippili stated that no decision had yet been made on when the ongoing rescue operations would be concluded.
More than a week has passed since Cyclone Ditwah struck, and with the hope of finding survivors steadily diminishing, authorities are carefully evaluating the situation.
“The decision to end rescue missions rests with the district disaster committees and the DMC continues to coordinate closely with the armed forces. As of now, no formal request has been made to suspend operations, so the rescue efforts will continue until such a request is received,” Kodippili explained.
The cyclone has caused extensive damage to housing, agriculture, and infrastructure. It has fully destroyed 4,309 houses and partially damaged 69,635, forcing 114,126 people from 33,622 families into 956 safe shelters, according to the DMC.
In total, over two million people from 576,626 families have been affected nationwide.
In a special statement made in Parliament on Friday (5), President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced a Rs. 72.2 billion relief package to be distributed over the next 25 days.
Key measures include cleaning grants of Rs. 25,000 per family, one-off household grants of Rs. 50,000 for essential kitchen equipment, and monthly payments for families who lost homes: Rs. 25,000 for up to six months and Rs. 50,000 per month from December to March for severely affected households.
Compensation for partially damaged houses is provided under four bands totalling Rs. 2.5 million, while relatives of the deceased receive Rs. 1 million each.
Grants are also allocated for paddy fields (Rs. 150,000 per hectare), vegetable fields (Rs. 200,000 per hectare), livestock farms (Rs. 200,000), registered fishing boats (Rs. 400,000), schoolchildren (Rs. 25,000 each), and business premises or landless families (up to Rs. 5 million).
Newly appointed Commissioner General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi estimated preliminary losses at $ 6–7 billion, more than three times the damage caused by the 2004 tsunami, which had been estimated at $ 1.5–2 billion.
He told the media that a detailed post-disaster assessment would guide recovery plans and inform any potential adjustments to the 2026 Budget or engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Also, as per the DMC statistical report, the river levels in major waterways, including the Kelani River, Kalu Ganga, Gin Ganga, Nilwala Ganga, Kirindi Oya, Menik Ganga, Kumbukkan Oya, Mahaweli River, Deduru Oya, and Attanagalu Oya, have returned to normal.
However, the landslide warnings issued by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) remain in force in Badulla, Seethawaka, Padukka, Elpitiya, Yakkalamulla, Attanagalla, Mirigama, Divulapitiya, Horana, Bulathsinhala, Ingiriya, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya, and Ratnapura.
Evacuation orders are still enforced in high-risk areas of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, and Matale.
The Department of Meteorology has issued an amber warning, warning of thunderstorms with severe lightning and strong winds in the Western and Sabaragamuwa Provinces, as well as the Galle and Matara Districts. Citizens have been urged to remain indoors, avoid open fields and water bodies, and exercise caution around fallen trees and power lines.