President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to provide immediate relief to the people affected by the recent adverse weather conditions across the country.

He also instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to ensure special attention is given to the safety of people in districts impacted by floods and landslides and to provide necessary support for effective relief operations, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).

The President emphasized that the government will take action to provide necessary assistance to all affected citizens and that local government officials in the affected areas will be engaged to ensure the people receive the required aid. Until such time, the President requested the public to act cautiously.

Additionally, the President has instructed the Ministry of Finance to allocate Rs. 50 million for relief services and urged state officials to ensure proper coordination in delivering the relief to those in need.

According to the Disaster Management Centre, 24,492 individuals from 6,018 families have been affected by floods and landslides in 11 districts due to the adverse weather conditions experienced in recent days.

At present, 2,200 individuals from 584 families are being sheltered in 23 relief centres. Relief operations in all affected districts have already begun, coordinated by state officials through the Chief of Defence Staff’s office.

The statement further said that emergency situations can be reported by contacting the Disaster Management Centre’s hotline number - 117 or by calling 0112136136, 0112136222, or 0112670002.

--PMD