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Incessant rains of the past four days, have resulted in the entire Batticaloa district, 303 km away from the capital is affected by floods. The bund of the Tharavailkulam in the uncleared are of Batticaloa was breached resulting in people being marooned in villages such as Tharavely, Parapaditivu and Murukantivu, International Committee of the Red Cross said in a press release. By late evening yesterday, volunteers of the Batticaloa branch of the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society (SLRCS), under the co-ordination of the ICRC and with the necessary permission of the security forces, were able to rescue via four boats, around 235 persons, mostly women and children, from the affected areas. Although Kinnaiyady and Oddamavady are connected by the lagoon, the boats had to be brought from Oddamavady by tractor in the pouring rain, since the lagoon was overflowing. The Valachchenai bridge lies between Oddamavady and Kinnaiyady. The ICRC mobile Health team treated around 60 civilians on arrival. The SLRCS have arranged a school in Sunkankerny to temporary house the displaced and also provided the night meal. ICRC officials along with SLRCS volunteers are continuing to monitor the situation in the district and render all assistance possible. An ICRC team is also left for Ampara to assess the flood situation in colony areas. The ICRC which opened an office in Batticaloa in 1990, today has a staff of eight expatriates and 60 Sri Lankans carrying out its humanitarian activities in the Batticaloa, Ampara and Polonnaruwa districts.
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