The number of people affected by the prevailing adverse weather has risen to more than 31,000 across eight districts, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said in its latest update on Sunday night (24) — up from 28,933 recorded earlier in the day, as the footprint widened beyond the six districts recorded 24 hours earlier.
Earlier on Sunday, the DMC said 28,933 individuals from 7,482 families had been impacted, spanning 34 divisional secretariat divisions, with Kalutara, Trincomalee, Galle and Vavuniya added to the affected list.
Gampaha District remains by far the worst hit, with 15,313 people from 3,950 families — roughly half the overall total — and the cycle’s one confirmed fatality: a 64-year-old resident of the Divulapitiya Divisional Secretariat Division swept away by strong currents on Friday. Colombo (4,566 from 1,051 families), Ratnapura (4,558 from 1,204 families) and Puttalam (4,265 from 1,219 families) follow.
The DMC said two houses have been completely destroyed and another 836 have suffered partial damage. Gampaha alone accounts for both fully damaged houses and 530 of the partial-damage cases.
Saturday afternoon’s snapshot recorded 27,419 individuals from 6,907 families across six districts and 807 partially damaged houses — meaning the affected population has grown by roughly 1,500 overnight while the housing damage tally has risen by 29.
The escalation comes as the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) keeps issuing landslide warnings for the central hills. In its latest bulletin, effective from 5 p.m. on Sunday (24) until 5 p.m. on Monday (25), the NBRO placed parts of Kegalle and Ratnapura districts under Level 2 (Amber) alerts, with Level 1 (Yellow) watches for areas of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara and Nuwara Eliya — an easing from the Red Level 3 “Evacuate” warnings issued a day earlier. It also follows Saturday’s minor flood warning for the Kalu Ganga basin and Friday’s Mellawagedara temporary bridge collapse on the Attanagalu Oya basin.
The Road Development Authority earlier urged motorists on the expressways to drive below 60 km/h, switch on headlights and maintain safe distances.
