Around 300 members of the Army, together with sailors and airmen, are currently engaged in flood relief emergencies in the worst-affected Galle, Kalutara, Matara, Ratnapura and Puttalam districts as of noon yesterday, the Army media unit said.
About 25 boats of the Army have already been sent to most-affected locations in Hiniduma, Palindanuwara, Kamburupitiya, Ratnapura and Puttalam where some of the public roads remain inundated and not motorable.
Another contingent of about 1,000 Army personnel, if needed, are on standby in flood-hit areas, in close contact with the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and the respective district and divisional secretariats for any emergency.
Army troops have also assisted the evacuation of flood-hit civilians in some areas at the request of DMC authorities and also supplied cooked meals.
Meanwhile, Naval troops have already moved into the disaster-prone areas in the hundreds, along with more than 25 rescue boats. Six-hundred-and-twenty sailors and 270 airmen in the meantime are on standby to serve any emergency situation, according to the Military Spokesman, Brigadier Sumith Atapattu.
In the Western Province, the 14 Division’s General Officer Commanding Major General Ralph Nugera, under the close supervision of 141 Brigade Commander Brigadier Prasanna Ranawaka, rushed a team of about 12 Army personnel of the 8 Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI) for protection of the Kelani river bund, close to the Pahuru Oya area in Malwana, since the water has reached spill level. Troops stacked sandbags and fortified the banks against leakage and sought to avert its split. Meanwhile, 111 Brigade troops of the 11 Division of the Security Force Headquarters - Central (SFHQ-Cen) assisted the evacuation of flood victims in the Nawalapitiya area to safer locations.
Troops serving the 2 Sri Lanka Rifle Corps (SLRC) under the close supervision of the 111 Brigade Commander Colonel Sanath Aluvihare evacuated those civilians who are largely exposed to danger of landslips in the Kithulkotei, Jayasundaragama and Labuvalikotuwa areas in Nawalapitiya to Central College Nawalapitiya, Jayasundarama Islamic Cultural Centre and the Mosque at Labuvelkotuwa.
Similarly, the families residing in the Solankanda area were also moved into temporary locations, such as the Solankanda Christ Church, etc.
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