In response to the prevailing situation in the country, Canadian Secretary of State Randeep Sarai announced that Canada will provide $1 million in humanitarian assistance to support emergency relief operations in the country.
The funding is aimed at helping ongoing efforts to deliver essential aid to affected communities.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reports that the death toll from Cyclonic Storm Ditwah and the severe weather affecting all 25 districts of Sri Lanka has risen to 607.
A further 214 people remain missing, according to the latest update.
The extreme weather has impacted 2,082,195 people from 586,464 families across the country.
The Kandy District has recorded the highest number of fatalities with 232 deaths, followed by Nuwara Eliya (89), Badulla (83), Kurunegala (61), Kegalle (30), Puttalam (30), and Matale (28).
In terms of missing persons, 81 people from Kandy, 35 from Nuwara Eliya, 41 from Kegalle, 28 from Badulla, and 11 from Kurunegala remain unaccounted for.
The DMC added that 152,537 people from 43,715 families are currently staying in temporary shelters.
The British High Commission in Colombo says that the United Kingdom (UK) is stepping up support for Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah, increasing UK humanitarian aid to a total of £1 million ($1.32 million).
It said that UK aid is already reaching Sri Lanka’s hardest-hit communities with life-saving support and early recovery.
“With 1.8m people affected, we’re now providing additional funding — bringing Britain’s support to £1m ($1.32m). Grateful to Red Cross, UNOPS, Vriddhi & partners delivering relief,” the British High Commission said on ‘X’.
Earlier, the UK had announced £675,000 ($890,000) in emergency aid to support families impacted by Cyclone Ditwah.
The assistance, delivered through the Red Cross, UN agencies, and local organisations, includes shelter materials, clean water, sanitation facilities, and other essential supplies for communities that have lost homes and livelihoods.
During a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, Acting British High Commissioner Theresa O’Mahony reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in its recovery from the severe weather impacts.
In a separate message, His Majesty the King conveyed his heartfelt condolences to all those affected by the disaster, praising the courage of emergency responders and volunteers providing relief.
The UK stated that this support reflects the long-standing partnership and friendship between the two nations, reaffirming its solidarity with Sri Lanka during this difficult time.
An aircraft carrying a consignment of disaster relief aid from Switzerland arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake, this morning (06).
The aid shipment, weighing 2.6 metric tons and comprising 17 individual packages, includes water purification units and various other equipment essential for their operation, said Ada Derana reporter.
The consignment was transported from Zurich, Switzerland, and arrived at Katunayake at 10:25 a.m. aboard an Edelweiss Air flight, WK 064.
Present at the airport to receive the consignment were the Deputy Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka, along with officials from the Disaster Management Centre
Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna said today that he was rescued by the war heroes when he was caught in the floods.
He told Parliament that he was caught in the floods along with the car and that his car was washed away in the floods.
“My car was recovered in a paddy field,” he said.
The MP said he was rescued by the war heroes and sheltered in a Navy camp.
“I was rescued by a Sinhalese war hero. I was sheltered in a camp. A Colonel provided me with his room to sleep for two days. But, you called them soldiers. Please allocate a large amount of money for them in the budget,” he said.
The Department of Meteorology announced that several spells of rain may occur in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, and Uva provinces, and in the Matale district.
Rain or thunder showers are likely in the rest of the island after 1:00 PM.
Fairly heavy rainfall of over 50mm may occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces, as well as in the Galle and Matara districts.
Misty conditions may prevail in some places during the morning hours in the Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva, and North-Central provinces, as well as in the Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts.
The Department of Meteorology has advised the public to take necessary steps to minimize the dangers caused by temporary strong winds and lightning that may accompany thunderstorms.
A fully operational field hospital has been established in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy by an Indian medical team, providing essential trauma care, surgical capability, ambulances, and other critical medical services to flood-affected communities.
In a post on X (formerly ‘Twitter’) the High Commission of India in Colombo, Sri Lanka stated that the initiative aims to ensure that “those impacted have access to urgent, life-saving medical support.”
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday said the devastating cyclone and flooding across Sri Lanka will have a clear economic impact, whilst signalling readiness to expand assistance once a full assessment of losses is complete.
IMF Communications Department Director Julie Kozack during its regular press briefing expressed solidarity with Sri Lankans affected by the extreme weather. “Our hearts go out to the people of Sri Lanka, and we mourn the loss of life that has taken place,” she said, extending condolences to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, which also suffered severe flooding.
Kozack confirmed that the IMF is closely engaging with the Sri Lankan authorities, development partners, and other counterparts to understand the humanitarian, social, and economic toll of the disaster.
“We understand that large parts of Sri Lanka have been affected by the floods. On that basis, we do expect economic activity to be adversely affected, in addition to the significant human toll,” she added.
She said the IMF will gain clearer insight once the Government completes its Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Assessment with international partners. “We will have a better assessment of the economic situation once the Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Assessment is completed,” she noted.
Addressing the ongoing reform program, Kozack stressed that the Fund’s commitment to Sri Lanka remains unchanged.
“We are continuing to support Sri Lanka’s recovery, reform, and resilience under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement,” she said, recalling that staff and the Government had already reached a Staff-Level Agreement on the Fifth Review in October, prior to the cyclone.
Importantly, she said the IMF is now evaluating ways to expand support in light of the disaster. “Staff is looking into options to further support Sri Lanka in the recovery process,” Kozack said, adding that the IMF still expects the Board to meet on 15 December as scheduled.
Sri Lanka is expected to receive swift access to around $ 350 million, the sixth tranche of the EFF, within two weeks.
“We will be providing additional details as the assessment of economic needs and damages moves forward, and as we have more information that can inform our own thinking around the options for how we can further support Sri Lanka,” she said.
The sale, storage, and slaughter of beef, mutton, and pork have been banned in the Mannar District for one week starting December 3, the Public Health Inspectors’ Union of Sri Lanka announced.
The ban follows reports of widespread livestock deaths during the recent disaster, particularly among cattle.
The Union said the measure is aimed at preventing the sale of potentially unsafe meat in local markets.
Public Health Inspectors will monitor for any violations, and the public is urged to report suspected cases to their local PHI or the Health Ministry’s Disaster Management Unit via the 1926 hotline.
India has airlifted a Bailey Bridge system to replace a destroyed bridge and restore connectivity as Sri Lanka recovers from the effects of Cyclone Ditwah.
The bridge was brought to Colombo in an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster miliary transport, along with engineers to assemble it, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.
The system and can be installed within a few hours to replace damaged bridges, significantly strengthening relief access and mobility for emergency services, in landslide and flood-hit areas, the statement said.
Cyclone Ditwah had damaged 15 bridges across larger highways of the island, the Road Development Authority had said.
The Bailey Bridge was designed by a British civil servant Donald Bailey during World War II, using the principles of truss bridges, with technical input from Ralph Fredman. and is a simplified truss bridge.
The first models were built with part from Braithewaite and Company, which also had a subsidiary in India (later nationalized).
The Bailey Bridge and was extensively used in the World War II.
