The United Nations will assist victims of the heavy flooding, landslides and flash floods that have affected some 684,000 people in south and central Sri Lanka - the worst such emergency in over a decade - the UN migration agency said on Tuesday.
At least 212 people have been killed and 79 are missing in the floods and mudslides, which have swept away homes and entire villages, the International Organisation for Migration said.
"People will need shelter and other non-food relief items,” said the IOM's Sri Lanka mission chief Giuseppe Crocetti.
IOM said it plans to help around 74,750 people by providing 3,700 shelter repair kits, 5,000 non-food relief item kits and 250 temporary shelters. It is appealing for 6.5 million dollars to provide a further 8,000 shelter repair kits, 25,000 non-food household item kits and 1,600 shelters.
The UN on Friday launched a 22.7 million dollar appeal for emergency shelters, food and health aid, water and sanitation for 374,000 victims of the flooding and landslides in seven districts, IOM said.
Over 2,500 houses were destroyed and nearly 15,900 damaged , and these numbers could rise as further damage assessments are carried out in the coming weeks, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre estimates.
Nearly 22,000 people are still sheltering in over 200 over-crowded “safe sites,” including schools, temples and churches. In flood-affected areas people are expected to return to their homes as water levels recede.
But in landslide-affected areas, people currently staying in evacuation centres or with relatives and friends are unlikely to be able to return to their homes in the short term, IOM said.
