Floods render 20,000 homeless

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 January 1999, 11:47 GMT]
Heavy showers in the north and the east in Sri Lanka have caused severe flooding and have made several thousands homeless. A spokesman for the Ministry of Social Services said that 22,848 have been rendered homeless in the Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Polannaruwa and Ampara districts.

He said that the Ministry has taken measures to provide relief to flood victims. According to latest reports, he said 550 houses were damaged due to floods in the Trincomalee and Mahiyangane areas.

The flood victims have been provided shelters in schools in the respective areas and the Social Services Department has been directed to provide the necessary food and dry ration to the affected, he said.

The Ministry of Social Services has released a sum of Rs.4.2 million to provide relief to the displaced families he added.