Skip to main content

WHO Country Office for Sri Lanka: Floods in Sri Lanka Situation Report No. 5 (28 August 2017)

Countries
Sri Lanka
Sources
WHO
Publication date
Origin
View original

KEY HIGLIGHTS

  • Following the onset of the south-west monsoon, 600 718 people were affected by floods and landslides and 213 deaths were recorded - according to the 6 June 2017 situation report by the District Management Centre, Sri Lanka.

  • As of 26 August 2017, as many as 971 people remain displaced in 17 safe locations across 3 districts (Kalutara, Hambantota, and Ratnapura).

  • A landslide early warning was issued by the National Building Research Organization on 19 August in Ratnapura and Matara districts.

  • As the current monsoon period will continue until September, the situation may deteriorate following heavy intermittent rainfall.

  • WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to strengthen emergency preparedness and response capacity of the 8 worst-affected districts1 by revising districts’ disaster health preparedness and response plans; enhancing district health staff capacity on disease surveillance and risk communication and supporting their emergency medical response capacity.