SOUTHERN DISASTER 12 KILLED 30 MISSING

Heavy rains and wind claims 12 lives, injures 50 and 30 reported missing:

Today the 25th in the morning it has been reported owing to natural disasters like heavy rains and gale, gusty winds have resulted in 12 deaths, injuring 50 and 30 are reported missing. In Matara, Galle Districts and Weligama coastal areas owing to sudden ‘Tornado’, 7 deaths have been reported. According to the Disaster Management Centre 4 fishermen who had gone fishing are reported to be among the missing. Owing to falling of branches of trees, three people had been killed.
Owing to heavy rains and gusty winds 30 people are reported missing who are reported to be mostly fishermen. According to statistics 1065 families which include 5305 persons have been affected. Owing to heavy rains and gusty winds several trees and advertising hoardings have fallen on the roads making transport to be interrupted and hampered. Owing to gusty wind and heavy rains several electricity posts had been damaged and the falling of trees had made electricity to be interrupted at several places in Galle and Matara.
The Disaster Management Centre had reported this as a ‘Tornado’ situation and as a result transport too had to be brought to a standstill at several places. As a result the Galle district was reported and declared an emergency area. The disaster management Centre has advised the people not to panic as the situation would come back to normal the following day.
SITUATION IN GALLE:
Owing to gale and gusty like winds in Galle District about 100 dwelling houses had been damaged in addition to the main bus stand in Galle, Divisional Secretariat office and several buildings have been damaged. This had been caused mainly with the fall of branches of trees on them. The Galle-Akuressa road had been hampered for public transport.
SLUICE GATES OPENED:
Owing to continuous heavy rains in the catchment areas of the sluice gates of several reservoirs had to be opened, which had had gone over the spill levels. Heavy rains had fallen to lower Uva district. As a result 6 sluice gates of Weheragala reservoir were forced to be opened. The water was made to be diverted to “Menik Ganga”. Irrigation Engineers have warned people to refrain from bathing in ‘Menik Ganga’. In Anuradhapura ‘Nachchiduwe Wewa’ 3 sluice gates were opened last afternoon. These waters fall into ’Malwathu Oya’. People around ‘Malwathu Oya’ had been warned to use the water from this Oya cautiously. One slice gate at ‘Rantembe’ reservoir also had been opened.
SITUATION IN BADULLA:
The’ Yaanoya’ had overflowed owing to the heavy rains that fell for a number of days which caused the low lying area in Kahatagasdigiliya and Horowpathana to go under water. Also due to continuous rain the ‘Kandalama wewa’ is on the verge of overflowing.
In Badulla district a number of damages to properties had been reported. In Hegoda and Mugunamatha in Hali Ela areas 3 houses have been damaged. As a result of rain it is reported that Oyawatta area had been affected and a bridge had been damaged. In Hegoda and Kuda oya owing to overflowing water the road through Badulla-Hanwella to kutiyagolla road in inundated for traffic the whole of the day.