More than 12,000 persons affected by storm

By Ifham Nizam

More than 12,000 persons from about 3,575 families in the North and East had been affected due to the cyclonic storm Burevi Wednesday night, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director Pradeep Kodippili said.

Kodippili said that nearly 200 houses had been damaged or destroyed across the districts of Mannar, Mullaitivu and Jaffna.

The DMC was coordinating with the District Secretariats to compensate the affected families while the Police and tri-forces were working around the clock to help the affected, Kodippili said, urging fishers to refrain going to sea until the Meterological Department gave the all-clear.

He said the influence of the cyclonic storm was gradually reducing by yesterday evening. However, heavy a rainfall above 200mm in most parts the country was expected today, a trend that would continue for the next couple of days.

According to Director General Fisheries S.J. Kahawatta, the owners of small boats had been asked to take their vessels to inland areas, while the trawler owners had been told to anchor their vessels in the fishing harbours.

Search operations are ongoing to rescue four fishermen (three from Jaffna and one from Mannar) who went missing as cyclonic storm Burevi passed the Northern and Eastern provinces.