Cyclone BUREVI: Multiple districts already affected

COLOMBO (News 1st): With cyclone Burevi set to make landfall from the Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka tonight (Dec. 02), evacuation measures are underway in the districts of Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu, and Jaffna. In the Trincomalee District... As of now, 297 families in high-risk areas were evacuated to relief centres, while another 1700 people have moved to relatives' places, Saman Dharshana, the District Secretary of Trincomalee said on Wednesday evening (Dec. 02). According to the District Secretary, people are reluctant to move to relief centres and measures will continue to evacuate those at risk. Trincomalee town, Mutur, Kadawathsathara, Kuchchaveli, Verugal, and Kinniya are the identified high-risk areas in the Trincomalee district. In the Batticaloa district... All disaster preparedness measures are underway to ensure the safety of the people, Pillai Karunaharan, the District Secretary said on Wednesday evening (Dec. 02). In the Polonnaruwa district... Residents in the divisional secretariats of Welikanda, Lankapura, Hingurakgoda, and Medirigiriya that are identified as high-risk areas were evacuated this evening, the District Secretary said. "All pre-disaster preparedness measures were followed and people are being informed on the disaster situation," District Secretary Dharmasiri Weerathunga told News 1st (Dec. 02). Further, measures were also undertaken to prevent any damages caused as a result of floods due to the heavy rainfall experienced in the area, in line with cyclone Burevi. In the Jaffna district... According to C.M. Sooriyarajah, the Deputy Director at the Jaffna District Disaster Management Centre, the district has received heavy rainfall since morning (Dec. 02). A total of 300 people belonging to 66 families of the Kallundai area in Jaffna have been evacuated. An individual was reported missing while engaged in fishing activities in the Santana area, the District Secretary noted. Further, seven school buildings were damaged due to gale-force winds and heavy showers. A total of 359 people of 82 families in the Jaffna district have been affected by the inclement weather conditions, C.M. Sooriyarajah, the Deputy Director at the Jaffna District Disaster Management Centre noted.