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Sri Lanka

Church Helps Flood Victims With Food, Shelter

Updated: June 05, 2008 04:25 PM GMT
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The local Catholic Church has joined the government and NGOs in providing food, water and shelter for people who have fled their homes due to heavy flooding.

According to media reports, torrential monsoon rains beginning in May and flooding and landslides since June 1 have killed at least 20 people, destroyed at least 400 houses and displaced around 400,000 people. 

Caritas Sri Lanka, the Catholic Church´s relief and development organization known locally as the Social and Economic Development Centre (SEDEC), joined Catholic parishes in aid efforts.

Galle, about 120 kilometers south of Colombo, is one of the worst-affected areas. "The Church is looking after 400 families at St. Anne´s Church in Hiniduma," according to Gunasena Liyanage, program coordinator for the diocesan Caritas unit.

The organization had cooperated with the local government to provide dry rations to 500 affected families in remote, "waterlogged" villages on the morning of June 4, Liyanage told UCA News by telephone later in the day.

Ratnapura, 100 kilometers southeast of the capital, is another badly affected area. Father Charles Degaulle and his team from the Ratnapura Caritas unit have been working to rescue people from flooded homes and distribute cooked food, drinking water and clothing.

"We managed to evacuate around 250 families working together with army and navy rescuers," Father Degaulle, the local Caritas director, told UCA News by telephone.

"Over 2,000 parcels containing food, milk powder and clothing for children in the camps were distributed," the priest added.

In 2003, more than 240 people died and 150,000 families were displaced in Ratnapura in the country´s worst flood disaster of recent years.

Caritas in Ratnapura has also provided a water pump to clean inundated wells and plans to provide medical clinics.

"Clinics are essential for the poor villagers as they do not have the money to go to the government hospital to get the free medicine provided there," Father Degaulle explained. He added that chikungunya, a viral fever transmitted by mosquitoes, "has spread like an epidemic in almost all the villages in the district, and I´m afraid it is going to be worse after the floods."

The priest reported that Caritas plans to take mobile medical camps to "10 villages at least," but he noted the district has "over 100 small villages."

Meanwhile, the government has opened temporary shelters in temples and schools, according to media reports that said 27 of these shelters were functioning as of June 5. Army and navy personnel have been evacuating people and providing cooked food and dry rations to the flood and landslide victims.

Meteorologists predict heavy rains will continue in the area for the next few days.

END

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