UN underscores need for international support to Sri Lanka flood relief

Reiterating its commitment to supporting humanitarian and development needs of all Sri Lankans, the United Nations, said today it will continue to assist the Sri Lankan government to meet the urgent needs for shelter, food and drinking water for over 1.2 million people affected by the second wave of floods wreaking havoc in the country.

Underscoring the vital need for international support to the crisis, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka Neil Buhne said on Monday, the impact on people of this second wave of floods was even greater as people’s capacity to cope with the disaster has already diminished.

The UN issuing a statement today said it would revise its Flash Appeal of US$ 51 million in emergency funding at the end of this month in accordance with needs of both flood events.

The UN in January launched a flash appeal to raise US$ 51 million in emergency funds to cover the immediate needs of more than one million people affected by the first round of floods.

The UN said its agencies are responding to the assessment of government’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) on the floods and landslide situation in affected districts to determine the extent and location of damage as well as immediate relief needs for non-food items, food, and drinking water.

Despite the inaccessibility to affected areas, the UN said its agencies are with a wide range of supplies.

According to the Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (OCHA) the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed 340 metric tonnes of food sufficient for six days to about 192,000 people in Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, and Polonnaruwa Districts.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) had provided tents and shelter materials to the flood victims in the Eastern Province.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is assisting the Health Ministry to ensure medical response in Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, and Kalmunai, and is currently assessing urgent health needs in other flood-affected areas, the OCHA said.

The UN country team said it has assigned at least 20 staff to assist the staff to support the Government Agents and central level emergency response activities.