Southeast Asia has been hit by some of the worst torrential rains in decades over the past week. More than 1,000 people have died in the region, and in Sri Lanka at least 334 people have been confirmed dead and more than 148,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Authorities are describing it as the worst natural disaster in the country in 20 years and have declared a national emergency.
Unlike the 2004 tsunami, which mainly affected coastal areas, this crisis is nationwide. In many places, roads, power grids and mobile communications are down, isolating entire regions and making rescue efforts more difficult. The work of aid organizations is also being severely hampered by the destroyed infrastructure.
In this very difficult situation, several of the areas where IOGT-NTO Movement runs long-term projects together with our partner organization ADIC are severely affected. In Jaffna, fifteen of our project families have been forced to evacuate to a nearby school after floodwaters made their homes uninhabitable. In Bambarakelle in the Nuwara Eliya district, the situation is even more uncertain. Heavy flooding and landslides have made the area inaccessible, and communication with ADIC's local representatives is still broken.
“We have not yet been able to reach our colleagues in the area due to the difficult situation,” says Sampath De Seram, head of ADIC.
In addition to many homes being damaged or destroyed, large areas of farmland have been washed away. Many of the families in our projects are daily wage workers in agriculture and are now without both income and food supplies.
“When crops are wiped out, families are left without both food and livelihood. It makes an already difficult situation even more acute,” says Johanna Davén, Secretary General of the IOGT-NTO Movement.
The most urgent needs now are for safe temporary shelter for families who have been forced to leave their homes, as well as clean drinking water, food, medicines, hygiene items, clothing and basic equipment such as blankets and mattresses. Field work in several areas has been temporarily suspended due to difficult and sometimes dangerous access.
Despite limited resources, ADIC is working intensively to get a clear picture of the situation, stay in touch with affected families, and plan interventions as soon as it is safe.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure that the project families are safe. As soon as possible, we plan to help with the cleanup of homes and support with the most urgent needs,” says Sampath.
The disaster has also affected ADIC's own staff. Several employees and their families have had their homes damaged or destroyed, while some are in completely isolated areas.
“Despite many being affected themselves, the team is showing tremendous strength. They continue to support both colleagues and the communities we work in, and are monitoring the situation very closely,” says Johanna Davén.
IOGT-NTO Movement is in continuous contact with ADIC and follows developments.
Photo: ADIC, Sri Lanka.
