President directs prompt fund allocations to help people affected by adverse weather
June 2, 2024 08:23 pm
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance to promptly allocate funds to the District Secretaries to provide urgent assistance to those impacted by the adverse weather conditions, the President’s Media Division said.
President Wickremesinghe has also instructed relevant officials to collaborate with the tri-forces and police to reconstruct all houses completely destroyed due to adverse weather, utilizing government funds, within the next two months.
At least 14 people were killed and more than 19,000 others from over 5,000 families were affected over the weekend as severe monsoonal downpours inflicted widespread devastation in Sri Lanka, authorities said on Sunday.
The Disaster Management Center (DMC) said 20 out of the country’s 25 districts were affected by heavy rain and issued warnings to people living on the banks of main rivers to move to higher ground.
Flights arriving at Colombo’s main international airport were diverted to a smaller airport, and some key highways were flooded at several exits.
The government also ordered all schools to remain shut on Monday after the weekend holiday, as more rain was forecast.
--With Agencies Inputs
