Over 175,000 displaced as heavy rains/floods lash Sri Lanka
Pastor Dale Morgan
Over 175,000 displaced as heavy rains/floods lash Sri Lanka*
COLOMBO, Dec 24 (AFP) Dec 24, 2007
Torrential rains have driven more than 175,000 people from their homes
in Sri Lanka, authorities said on Monday.
Heavy monsoon rains over the weekend made some roads impassable while
nearly 2,300 houses had been damaged, the national disaster management
centre said.
Worst hit was the eastern district of Batticaloa where close to 156,250
people were forced from their dwellings. The other 19,000 people were
displaced in six other districts.
Sri Lanka depends on monsoon rains for irrigation and power generation
but the seasonal downpours frequently cause loss of life and damage to
property in low-lying areas.
No deaths have been reported in the latest rains.
The island's two main monsoon seasons run from May to September and
December to February.