November 30, Colombo (LNW): The Disaster Management Centre has confirmed that the number of people who have lost their lives in the severe weather battering the country in recent days has risen to 193. The Badulla District has suffered the greatest tragedy, with 71 fatalities reported so far.
Authorities are still searching for at least 228 individuals who remain unaccounted for, as rescue teams continue operations across several hard-hit districts. The scale of the disaster has widened steadily, with the latest figures showing that 968,304 people from 266,114 families in 25 districts have now been impacted by the effects of Cyclone Ditwah. According to officials, numerous communities are still struggling with persistent flooding, landslides and relentless downpours.
The DMC added that 147,931 people belonging to 41,005 families have sought refuge in 1,094 emergency shelters established nationwide, many of which are operating around the clock to accommodate the steady influx of displaced residents.
In its most recent update, the Department of Meteorology reported that Cyclone Ditwah is positioned near latitude 11.1°N and longitude 80.6°E, approximately 170 kilometres north-northeast of Jaffna, and is expected to continue drifting northwards, gradually moving away from Sri Lanka.
However, the system is still exerting a significant influence on maritime conditions. Very strong winds of 50–60 km/h, with gusts reaching up to 70 km/h, are forecast over the sea areas stretching from Trincomalee to Puttalam via Kankesanthurai and Mannar, rendering these waters extremely rough at times. Winds over other sea regions are anticipated to range between 30–40 km/h.
Meanwhile, fairly strong winds of around 50 km/h may affect the coastal waters from Puttalam to Colombo via Negombo, and from Trincomalee to Hambantota via Pottuvil, making these areas fairly rough periodically. The remaining sea regions surrounding the island are expected to experience moderate conditions, the Met Department noted.
