The monsoon rains that triggered massive flooding in Batticaloa stoped for a week and a half, allowing flood waters to recede, road repairs to begin, and supplies to be trucked into the area. The rains have begun again, however, setting off a new round of flooding. As of yesterday, the 3rd of February, waters had again inundated the District, once again leading to mass displacement and destruction of infrastructure.
The following pictures were taken on the 3rd, in a small town just north of Batticaloa town, a place called Sittandy. We would like to thank Stanley Rapster for the use of his pictures.
On the main north/south road in Sittandy.
I’m sending you this urgent personal appeal because right now Batticaloa is undergoing a crisis of enormous proportions.
It is monsoon season in Eastern Sri Lanka, and the east coast is experiencing what can only be termed a “100-year flood.” It has rained continuously for two weeks now, and more downpours are expected for at least a week. The result thus far is that some 75% of the District is flooded, with some tens of people killed, homes destroyed, and hundreds of thousands displaced. The region is cut off; roads and train lines are under water, and so reports are sketchy.
Nearly 180,000 people displaced in Sri Lanka floods
However, there has been some information coming out of the District. Here are a few of the media reports:
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We received word yesterday that the Sri Lankan government has approved the formation of ABDF Lanka, our sister organization here on the island.
There were several reasons we founded ABDF Lanka.
First and most importantly, we want our projects to be Sri Lankan projects. The Council of Directors (the SL equivalent of a Board) is all Sri Lankan, with the exception of myself, and is a balance of the three major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka; Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim. One of the main criticisms of foreign groups on the island is that decision making is largely done by foreigners who come and dictate what project will be done and who will benefit from them. This is a valid concern, and patently against ABDF philosophy, as we believe in a ground up approach. This means that our projects aren’t really, in a sense, our projects at all; we support local people in their own efforts to help themselves. The formation of ABDF Lanka will ensure this is the case, and ABDF in the USA will have more of an administrative and financial role. In terms of our day-to-day operations, there will be no effect; the same sorts of projects, with their grassroots emphasis, will continue as always. The difference will be that they will be run by a Sri Lankan-led organization.
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