The search for survivors is waning as Sri Lanka enters the second week after Cyclone Ditwah triggered catastrophic floods and landslides, leaving hundreds dead, hundreds more missing, and thousands displaced.
Rescue and evacuation operations continue, led by the armed forces and supported by local residents, but authorities warned that the likelihood of finding additional survivors is diminishing.
According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), the death toll has reached 618, with 209 people still missing. Kandy was the hardest-hit district with 232 fatalities, followed by Nuwara Eliya (89), Badulla (83), Kurunegala (61), and Puttalam (34). Other affected districts include Monaragala, Matale, Colombo, Batticaloa, Kegalle, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Jaffna, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura, Hambantota, Galle, Mannar, Gampaha, and Vavuniya.
DMC Director for Awareness Pradeep Kodippili said no decision has yet been made on when rescue operations will conclude.
“The decision to end rescue missions rests with the district disaster committees, and the DMC continues to coordinate closely with the armed forces. As of now, no formal request has been made to suspend operations, so the rescue efforts will continue until such a request is received,” he explained.
Cyclone Ditwah has caused widespread destruction of housing, agriculture, and infrastructure.
The DMC reports 4,309 houses completely destroyed and 69,635 partially damaged, forcing 114,126 people from 33,622 families into 956 safe shelters. In total, over two million people from 576,626 families have been affected nationwide.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced a Rs. 72.2 billion relief package in Parliament on Dec. 5 to be distributed over the next 25 days.
The plan includes cleaning grants of Rs. 25,000 per family, one-off household grants of Rs. 50,000 for essential kitchen equipment, and monthly payments for families who lost homes: Rs. 25,000 for up to six months, and Rs. 50,000 per month from December to March for severely affected households.
Compensation for partially damaged houses is provided under four bands totaling Rs. 2.5 million, while relatives of the deceased receive Rs. 1 million each. Grants are also allocated for paddy fields, vegetable fields, livestock farms, registered fishing boats, schoolchildren, and business premises or landless families.
Newly appointed Commissioner General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi estimated preliminary losses at $6–7 billion, more than three times the damage caused by the 2004 tsunami.
He said a detailed post-disaster assessment will guide recovery plans and inform potential adjustments to the 2026 Budget or engagement with the International Monetary Fund.
While river levels in major waterways, including the Kelani River, Kalu Ganga, Gin Ganga, Nilwala Ganga, Kirindi Oya, Menik Ganga, Kumbukkan Oya, Mahaweli River, Deduru Oya, and Attanagalu Oya, have returned to normal, landslide warnings remain in force in Badulla, Seethawaka, Padukka, Elpitiya, Yakkalamulla, Attanagalla, Mirigama, Divulapitiya, Horana, Bulathsinhala, Ingiriya, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya, and Ratnapura.
Evacuation orders are still enforced in high-risk areas of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, and Matale.
The Department of Meteorology has issued an amber warning for thunderstorms with severe lightning and strong winds in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces, as well as Galle and Matara districts, urging residents to remain indoors, avoid open fields and water bodies, and exercise caution around fallen trees and power lines.
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