March 18, Colombo (LNW): The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has issued an island-wide incident summary today, reporting a series of fatalities and damages caused by various natural disasters between March 10 and 13.
Four individuals from the Moneragala, Anuradhapura, and Hambantota districts tragically lost their lives in separate elephant attacks.
In total, seven people have been killed in the past few days, with additional fatalities recorded in Galle and Puttalam due to drowning and falling trees.
Furthermore, 214 individuals from 60 families across ten districts have been directly affected by the recent adverse weather conditions.
The DMC highlighted that two individuals sustained injuries in Jaffna due to high winds, while significant damage was reported to homes. Forty-six houses across six districts, including Ratnapura, Kegalle, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, and Galle, have sustained partial damage, with 15 homes in Ratnapura being the most affected.
Additionally, one house in Jaffna was completely destroyed due to the strong winds.
Fortunately, no residents have been relocated to temporary shelters or safe houses at this stage.
The DMC also issued a warning to those living downstream of the Ulhitiya Ratkinda, Kala Wewa, and Rajanganaya reservoirs, as heavy rainfall has led to the opening of several spill gates.
The gates of the Ulhitiya Ratkinda Reservoir have been raised by four feet, and those of the Kala Wewa and Rajanganaya reservoirs by two feet, causing a rapid rise in water levels.
Authorities have advised the public to remain vigilant and exercise caution in these areas.
In terms of infrastructure, the DMC has announced the reopening of one lane at the 12th-mile post along the Ella-Wellawaya road, which had been temporarily closed due to a minor landslide.
From today, this road will remain open to vehicle traffic 24 hours a day. However, the Dematawalhinna road on the Hali-Ela route has been temporarily closed for a few days due to similar landslide risks.
