The families arrived at Sri Bodhirukkharama Viharaya in Ketawala carrying bags packed for an emergency: a cup, a plate, medical records, important documents, and bank passbooks.
At the entrance, State officials were ready to register each household as it came in. Inside the premises, separate spaces had been set aside for women and men, as they had been when the temple served as a Suraksha Centre during Cyclone Ditwah. Once everyone had settled in, a meal was cooked and shared.
This time, however, there was no cyclone. The families, many of whom had been directly affected by Cyclone Ditwah, were taking part in a disaster simulation exercise in the Hali-Ela Divisional Secretariat (DS) Division. The exercise is part of the Badulla District’s effort to be better prepared for the next disaster.
The drill was held on Tuesday (22) and Wednesday (23) across six centres, all of which had operated as safety centres during the cyclone. It was preceded by a day of training for officials and was facilitated by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The Sunday Morning observed two of the simulations on the ground: one at Sri Bodhirukkharama Viharaya, Ketawala, and the other at B/Pallewala School, Keeriyagolla.
The objective was straightforward. When early signs of a disaster appear, people must be evacuated to safety centres in time to prevent loss of life, according to officials.
A district still recovering
Cyclonic Storm Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka on 28 November 2025. Badulla was among the worst-hit hill-country districts, suffering extensive destruction from torrential rainfall, catastrophic landslides, and severe flooding.
According to official situation reports from the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and international humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), approximately 90,127 individuals were affected in the district, one of the highest figures nationwide.
Official reports confirmed between 82 and 90 fatalities in the district at the height of the disaster. At the peak of the disaster and during subsequent recovery tracking, Badulla accounted for roughly 38,257 displaced individuals, around 19% of all displacements in the country.
Extreme, short-duration downpours far exceeded the capacity of local infrastructure. The resulting landslides produced debris flows extending up to 10 km in length, a dramatic escalation compared with past slides such as the 900-metre landslide recorded in Meeriyabedda.
Because civil capacity alone was insufficient for immediate rescue, the response depended on the armed forces, Police, Special Task Force (STF), and 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service to retrieve trapped survivors.
Collapsed roads, bridges, and mud-blocked tracks isolated many hill-country communities, delaying search-and-rescue operations and relief delivery. Households dependent on agriculture, particularly in the tea plantation sector, faced crop losses and income shocks. Hundreds of homes were fully destroyed or structurally compromised.
Nationally, Suraksha Centres set up in schools, temples, churches, and community spaces provided temporary shelter, medical relief, and essential supplies to over 233,000 displaced individuals.
Living with the hazard
Living alongside natural hazards is an inherent reality for Badulla’s residents. Geotechnical surveys show that approximately 16% of the district’s land area is classified as high-risk landslide terrain, leaving minimal safe space for settlement.
Disaster management in the district faces several interrelated challenges. Changing climate patterns have made localised weather prediction more complex, reducing the lead time for early warnings. The district frequently cycles between extremes: torrential rains cause flash floods and rapid siltation of reservoirs, while short dry spells lead quickly to drought and drinking water shortages. Heavy flow along channels such as the Badulu Oya repeatedly undermines riverbanks, washing out bridges and telecommunication towers.
Disaster response is structured across three administrative tiers: the District Disaster Management Committee, chaired by the District Secretary, the divisional secretariats, and village-level grama niladhari committees.
To strengthen coordination, a dedicated WhatsApp group connecting over 300 officials across all tiers operates around the clock to share real-time alerts and initiate rapid action. At the grassroots level, manual rain gauges have been distributed to high-risk villages, and communities have been instructed to evacuate if rainfall reaches 75 mm within an hour.
Disaster officials emphasised that proactive risk reduction, including slope stabilisation, retaining walls, and proper drainage, was far more economical than post-disaster recovery.
At the temple
The exercise at Sri Bodhirukkharama Viharaya, B/Pallewala School, and other four places was coordinated through a hierarchy of Government offices, from national ministries down to the DS.
Of the more than 400 families in the village, only about 11 households remain at high risk, reflecting the targeted nature of current safety interventions.
Both officials and residents spoke of the practical challenges of resettlement, including the high cost of land and the scarcity of rental housing in safe areas. Ground-level officials also discussed the difficulty of evacuating reluctant residents during disasters and the limitations technical staff faced when conducting site inspections.
Modern communication technology was noted as a vital tool, improving coordination and providing evidence of safety measures in ways that were not possible during past disasters.
Residents and officials said that while simulation exercises had been held after the Meeriyabedda landslide several years ago, there was now a need to continue the practice so that people remained aware of current conditions.
At the school
At B/Pallewala School, the participants were residents of the lower division of Dickwella Estate. Forty-six families took part. They had stayed at the school for three months after Cyclone Ditwah. Around 40% of them are estate workers, while the others live on the estate but do not work there.
The exercise also received good support from the public. Estate Manager Chaminda Perera told The Sunday Morning that land had been identified to relocate the families and that they were awaiting the relevant reports from the National Building Research Institute (NBRI).
Relocation remains one of the district’s most pressing tasks. Around 5,000 families across Badulla require permanent relocation out of high- and medium-risk zones. Finding safe, stable land, even 10-perch plots, within mountain and estate regions remains exceptionally difficult, resulting in long-term displacement in temporary camps.
Inside the operations room
While grama niladharis, midwives, and other field officials monitored, guided, and took part in the drill on the ground, an operations room at the Hali-Ela DS Office followed events in real time. Officials in the field connected to the room via Zoom and provided live updates.
Following the exercise, regional administrators, emergency responders, and international observers gathered in the operations room for a debrief evaluating emergency preparedness, inter-agency coordination, and relief bottlenecks.
A major takeaway was the importance of cross-institutional collaboration. Evaluators noted that during real disasters, immediate medical care, the management of relief facilities, and life-saving operations were severely handicapped when agencies worked in isolation. Joint simulations allow administrators, the Police, the military, and health workers to align protocols before a disaster strikes.
“Without prior joint exercises, agencies face immense operational paralysis during actual emergencies when trying to coordinate patient care and resource allocation,” one of the session facilitators said.
Lessons from the field
Field teams executed 10–15 key operational task packages under high-stress conditions. The review commended the dedication of local officials and community volunteers, who supported one another throughout the exercise.
School safety was among the issues discussed. Participants considered mechanisms to track and communicate the safety status of schoolchildren if a disaster strikes during school hours.
An observer raised the issue of registration delays. Requiring detailed inputs such as National Identity Card numbers, passport details, and multi-page documentation proved counterproductive during the acute phase of a disaster.
Discussion focused on establishing a simplified disaster identification numbering system to speed up intake, along with fast-track protocols for vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities and those requiring urgent medical screening.
The debrief also addressed the role of the media. Officers said that media outlets should move beyond sensational reporting, such as coverage limited to vehicles sliding off roads, and focus on educating the public on disaster management protocols, risk mitigation, and structural precautions.
Constructive reporting, they said, was an essential tool for long-term risk reduction, including landslide prevention and forest fire control.
A collective effort
The session concluded with acknowledgements of the participating entities, including the Divisional Secretary, Assistant Divisional Secretary, grama niladharis, Samurdhi development officers, disaster relief officers, and the Hali-Ela Police Headquarters Inspector, and officers as well as tri-forces personnel who provided ground logistics.
These also included public health inspectors from the office of the Medical Officer of Health, electricity officials, the Zonal Education Office, the UNFPA for technical guidance and funding support, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society for operational support, and the Chairman and members of the Hali-Ela Pradeshiya Sabha.
Officials further stated that such simulations should be conducted at least twice a year.