Sri Lanka’s Cyclone Ditwah Damage Tops US $4.1 BILLION

COLOMBO (News 1st); Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka in late November, has inflicted an estimated US$4.1 billion in direct physical damage to buildings and contents, agriculture, and critical infrastructure, according to a World Bank Group Global Rapid Post‑Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report released today (22).

The figure—equivalent to around 4% of Sri Lanka’s GDP—captures the immediate blow to the nation’s physical assets and underscores the scale of recovery ahead.

The cyclone—among the most intense and destructive in recent memory—severely affected close to 2 million people and 500,000 families across all 25 districts, disrupting livelihoods, essential services, and the broader economy.

The Sri Lanka GRADE report provides timely, critical insights to guide emergency response, recovery planning, and longer‑term disaster risk reduction. Using the World Bank’s rapid, remote, model‑based GRADE methodology, the assessment estimates direct economic damage to physical assets only.

Importantly, the report does not include losses related to income or production, nor the full costs of recovery and reconstruction—meaning actual recovery needs will significantly exceed the headline damage estimate.

The Central Province absorbed the largest hit, with Kandy district damages estimated at US$689 million, driven primarily by flooding and, to a lesser extent, landslides.

Across the country, infrastructure—including roads, bridges, railways, and water supply networks—accounts for the largest share of damage at US$1.735 billion (42%), severing connectivity and access to markets and essential services.

Residential buildings and contents suffered US$985 million in damage, spotlighting the urgent need to rethink building locations, strengthen flood control structures, and adopt designs resilient to high winds and flooding.

The agriculture sector recorded US$814 million in damages—spanning paddy and vegetable crops, subsistence farming, maize, livestock, agriculture infrastructure, and inland fishing—posing serious risks to food security and rural livelihoods, particularly in already vulnerable communities.

Non‑residential buildings and contents—including schools, health facilities, businesses, and large industrial facilities located near major rivers and creeks—account for US$562 million in damages, interrupting education, healthcare delivery, and local economic activity in cyclone‑affected areas.

The assessment highlights how pre‑existing socio‑economic vulnerabilities—including poverty, limited access to services, and exposure to climate risks—are likely to amplify the cyclone’s impacts and slow recovery, especially for women, children, older persons, and female‑headed households.

Targeted, community‑centred recovery will be essential to ensure support reaches those most at risk.

In the immediate aftermath, the World Bank Group has mobilized up to US$120 million from ongoing projects to support recovery and help restore essential services and infrastructure—including healthcare, water, education, agriculture, and connectivity—in the worst‑hit areas.

While the GRADE report provides a rapid estimate of direct physical damage, recovery and reconstruction needs are expected to significantly exceed these figures. The report calls for comprehensive recovery strategies that:

Address humanitarian needs and restore livelihoods

Strengthen resilient housing and infrastructure

Integrate climate and disaster risk considerations into future development

The World Bank acknowledged the Government of Sri Lanka’s leadership in completing the assessment, which benefited from close collaboration with the External Resources Department, the Treasury, the National Planning Department, and the Disaster Management Centre.