COLOMBO — The full horror of Cyclone Ditwah is now clear: at least 153 people have died across Sri Lanka after floods and landslides unleashed by the cyclone ravaged the country, officials confirmed on Saturday. The destruction is widespread. Nearly 500,000 people have been affected nationwide, with more than 78,000 evacuated to nearly 800 relief centres hastily set up, mostly in schools, by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).
Entire neighbourhoods lie submerged. In one tragic case, a woman named MallikaKumari found her home under water up to its roof. She fled with her husband and three children in a rented lorry and spent the night stranded on the roadside. Thousands like her have lost homes, possessions, and for many, a sense of safety vanished within hours.
Rescue operations have been huge but daunting. Police, navy and army troops have been mobilized in large numbers to deliver food, clear blocked roads, and evacuate families trapped by floodwaters. Boats and makeshift transports have become the only lifeline for people marooned by rising water and collapsed bridges.
The scale of the disaster is overwhelming the island’s infrastructure. Many homes stand ruined, businesses have shut down, and entire communities have been displaced. Power supply, water lines and transport links have been disrupted, turning daily life into a struggle for survival.
Already lamenting the loss of lives, citizens now brace for long-term hardship. Food, clean water, shelter, medical aid, all are in short supply. The rains may be easing, but for hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans the real fight is only beginning: rebuilding their lives from the mud, water and heartbreak left behind by Ditwah.