Surviving: A file photo of residents carrying belongings as they wade through a flooded area after heavy rainfall in Wellampitiya. — AFP
Authorities issued fresh landslide warnings with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 618.
More than two million people – nearly 10% of the population – have been affected by last week’s floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said monsoons were adding more rain and making hillsides unstable.
Helicopters and planes were being used on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the centre of the country.
The Sri Lanka Air Force said it had received a planeload of relief supplies from Myanmar, the latest batch of foreign aid.
The government has confirmed 618 dead – 464 from the tea-growing central region – while 209 people remain unaccounted for.
The number of people in state-run refugee camps had dropped to 100,000 from a peak of 225,000 as floodwaters receded across the island, the DMC said.
More than 75,000 homes were damaged, including close to 5,000 that were completely destroyed.
The government on Friday unveiled a major compensation package to rebuild homes and revive businesses wiped out by the natural disaster.
A senior official earlier said recovery and reconstruction might cost up to US$7bil (RM28.8bil).
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday that Sri Lanka’s economy had made a significant recovery, but was not strong enough to withstand the latest shock alone.
Survivors will be offered up to 10 million rupees (RM136,000) to buy land in a safer location and build a new house, the finance ministry said in a statement
One million rupees (RM13,240) is being offered in compensation for each person killed or left permanently disabled.
However, the government did not say how much the package would cost, raising concerns. — AFP
