President directs immediate relief efforts as floods affect nearly one million people in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the Essential Services Commission to immediately provide all necessary services for the nearly one million flood-affected people in the country.

President Rajapaksa has held an emergency meeting Tuesday evening and instructed the Commissioner General of Essential Services, S.B. Divarathna to consider the relief efforts as an essential service.

Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne, several key ministers and other senior officials have participated in the meeting.

The President has instructed Divarathna to obtain the support of the three armed forces, police, and health sector to carryout relief services.

In its latest situation report Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center said 966,757 people from 257,993 families have been affected by floods and 197,221 people have been sheltered in 502 camps.

Incessant rains lashing the country since December 26 have caused heavy flooding in the North Central and Eastern provinces and landslides in the Central Province. The disastrous weather has claimed 18 lives and injured 49 people while two have been reported missing.