Marooned residents of Veyangalla in Kalutara district are getting by because of an emergency boat service that is operated mostly by locals

Waking up at 2 a.m. on Friday, Mohammed Ruwez thought the rain was not going to stop. He started moving his belongings to his maternal home, the one next to his, thinking its slight elevation might prove to be safer in the event of a flash flood.

Moments earlier, he had put his four grandchildren to sleep there.

Unexpected mudslide

“Suddenly I heard a loud, thundering noise. I ran outside, but everything was over by then. I just froze,” he said on Sunday, standing near the rubble that swallowed his grandchildren. “Our family lost four small children not because of the floods, but in the unexpected mudslide,” he said, breaking down.

Mohammed Ruwez of Veyangalla lost his four grandchildren during a mudslide. | Photo Credit: Meera Srinivasan

Residents of Veyangalla in Kalutara district, some 40 km south of Colombo, had never seen a landslip before, though the area is hilly. “I have seen many floods in my life. But none so destructive,” said Mr. Ruwez, 62, recalling how Muslim and Sinhalese neighbours rushed to his help in the pouring rain.

Three days after severe floods that have claimed over 150 lives so far, villagers in Kalutara are marooned — the roofs of homes peep out of 10 feet of water, while some families sit on terraces watching boats rowing past their submerged lanes. The village school, public healthcentre, mosque and Buddhist temple are all under water. If not for the emergency boat service operated mostly by locals, residents would have had no way of getting to the main road, about 6 km away, from where transport is available to the nearest town. Kalutara is among the most-affected districts in the island, where the onset of the southwest monsoon caused havoc on Friday .

Relief efforts

The Sri Lankan government said it was stepping up relief efforts, even as critics pointed to its poor preparedness for a disaster of this scale. Friday’s floods were the worst to hit the island since 2003. As many as 5 lakh people have been displaced and 100 are still missing.

Cabinet spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told reporters that the government had intensified relief operations, focussing on the health of affected communities. Sri Lanka sought international support, including from the United Nations and neighbouring countries. Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake thanked India for its swift response after India sent three ships with rescue teams and relief material. China on Sunday pledged $2.2 million for disaster relief efforts.

The Meteorological Department has predicted more rain over the next two days, and the National Building Research Organisation has issued a landslide warning for some southern districts.