Sri Lanka Navy has increased rescue and relief missions by deploying 49 teams comprising experienced officers and sailors along with the same number of dinghies in the Southern, Western, Sabaragamuwa and Northwestern provinces.
The community in Ayagama, Elatpatha, Madabaddara, Viharagangoda, Pallegedara, Dambuluwawa areas is severely affected due to the heavy downpour receive in the Rathnapura District intermittently.
As such, naval personnel belonging to the Rapid Response Rescue and Relief Unit (4RU) are continuously engaged in providing transport facilities by dinghies for the displaced people in those areas, SLN Media Unit said.
Meanwhile, the Kaduwela Bridge over Kelani River connecting Kaduwela and Biyagama is in slight danger due fears over the excessive erosion of soil underneath the bridge along the Kelani River banks.
Accordingly, a navy team is busy erecting an embankment to strengthen the river banks since 4.30 p.m. yesterday (24). They also render assistance for the construction of a temporary bridge parallel to the existing one.
Further, naval personnel belonging to the 4RU rescued 116 persons in the face of threatening floods and directed them to safe locations this morning (25) in Thabbowa area and disaster relief missions are still in progress.
Meanwhile, Navy divers are conducting a mission since this morning (25) in search of a person lodged at Unasewana Hotel in Garanagama, Biyagama, who went missing after going for a bath in a nearby brook.
Apart from that, another Navy relief team is engaged to stack sand bags to prevent possible damage to the bank of Dalathura Canal in Biyagama that poses a threat of collapse due to rising water levels of the canal and leaving the low-lying area inundated.
Meanwhile, the mobile kitchen facility possessed by the Sri Lanka Navy has currently been placed at the Sabaragamuwa Public Ground in Rathnapura serving meals to the distressed public and naval personnel engaged in relief missions.
Navy continues to extend its relief and rescue missions to assist the public battered in the wake of worsening weather conditions and torrential rains, the release said.
