More than 190 missing after Sri Lanka landslide
More than 190 people still remain missing and eight are confirmed dead following a massive landslide that buried a village in central Sri Lanka yesterday (Wednesday) around 7:15 in the morning. The mudslide has wiped out more than 150 line-houses of tea estate workers at a tea estate in Haldummulla, Badulla.
Following the prevailing bad weather condition the National Building Research Organization issued a landslide warning Tuesday night with a level-2 warning covering several secretariat divisions including Badulla in the Central area.
“Wednesday early morning around 7:00 am, we noticed a severe crack on the ground closer to our house. Soon the earth began to shift and several feet away from where my house was the earth began to slip away creating about 150 – 200 feet drop. I began to shout to all the people and began to run,” says Rasaiya (49) a community member.
“There was a terrible noise that I can’t even describe. It was like a massive waterfall. I didn’t think we would survive."
“There was a terrible noise that I can’t even describe. It was like a massive waterfall. I didn’t think we would survive. People were confused as to what was going on,” he says, “I just kept shouting for them to run.”
More than 800 people who survived the disaster are now sheltering in two schools that were turned into safe centres. The children who had gone to school that morning avoided the disaster but the reports say many lost their families. Currently there are 284 children (45 are under five years the others are under 12) in the two safe centres.
The World Vision team from the Meegahakiula Area Develoment Programme (located 50 km from the disaster location) reached the affected area within hours.
“Although we reached the affected area last evening itself we could not commence the distribution right away. The District Disaster Management and Coordination Unit (DDMCU) and government officials advised us to hold our distribution until they confirm numbers affected,” says Nagoda Vithana, Meegahakiula ADP Manager.
“At about 5 o'clock this morning our team was able to start the distribution and we have completed distribution of non-food Items and hygiene kits to more than 150 families in the two centres,” he said.
The most pressing needs at the moment are for mosquito nets, children’s clothes, milk bottles and to attend to the psychosocial needs of the children who have lost their families.
The most pressing needs at the moment are for mosquito nets, children’s clothes, milk bottles and to attend to the psychosocial needs of the children who have lost their families.
“World Vision is looking for support in attending to the unaccompanied children in the two centres by setting up Child Friendly Spaces and mobilizing trained counselors to provide psychosocial support,” says Amenthi Jasinghe, Manager, Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs of World Vision Lanka.
“For the first five days we are looking at management under the local government, pre-school teachers and also World Vision trained counsellors under the north mental health programme,” she said.
Meanwhile World Vision is conducting a rapid assessment on the situation and has already committed around 300 packets of non-food item kits, hygiene kits, tarpaulin sheets, blankets and Jerry Cans that would be distributed in the week to come.
While the search and rescue operations by the army and the police continue despite poor weather conditions, Red Cross and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) are also on the ground providing the affected families with sanitation facilities and drinking water.