Senior Red Cross officials visit Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 January 1999, 16:38 GMT]
Mr. Gert Venghaus, South Asian Regional Delegate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that Rs.8 million worth of relief items were being provided to the most vulnerable flood victims in 6 districts in the north east of Sri Lanka on the request of the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society.

He was in Vauniya today with Gellert Tamas Regional Information Delegate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to see the damage caused by the floods and to inspect the distribution of the relief among affected families.

The delegates inaugurated the relief distribution process at the Protestant Church in Vavuniya this morning.

The function was presided by Mary Ann Emilda the Divisional Secretary of Vavuniya.

C.Marcandeyar, the President of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRC) Vavuniya branch, Sivanathan Kishore the co-ordinator for the northeast of the SLRC and the branch secretary of Vavuniya were also present.

Government officials in the district had earlier appealed to the non governmental organizations to provide relief assistance to the flood affected families as the government relief assistance was not sufficient and could not beprovided in the necessary time.

Mr. Gert Venghaus further said that they had tried to visit Batticaloa yesterday but could not travel beyond Mannampity in Polannaruwa district as the road was impassable due to heavy rain and floods.

He added that the flood relief is to be distributed among the most flood affected families in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee, Polannaruwa, Batticaloa and Amparai.

He said the money for the relief assistance was allocated from the emergency funds of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

He said that he was here in Sri Lanka to see the distribution of the relief assistance to the most affected vulnerable people which he described as ësatisfactoryí.

The team visited Saanthasolai, Srinagar and Checkckadipilavu and met the flood affected families and inspected their damaged houses.

The two member team is also scheduled to visit Mannar and Trincomalee.