On 15 May 2016 Sri Lanka was hit by a severe tropical storm that caused widespread flooding and landslides in 22 districts of the country destroying homes and submerging entire villages. At least 84 people are known to have died as a result of Tropical Storm Roanu and a further 116 people are still missing, many as the result of a landslide that struck Aranayake, Kegalle district on 17 May 2016; this was followed by a second landslide in the same area four days later and landslides warning remain in place in nine areas of the country.
Currently 237,240 people are displaced from their homes and living in a variety of safe locations including camps, schools, temples, with host families and in other temporary accommodation. The majority of these displaced people are in Colombo and Gampaha districts in the south-west of the country where floodwaters still remain high. As a result of heavy rains, several major reservoirs overflowed and flood gates were fully opened to avoid a dam breach, causing flooding downstream. Areas downstream of two large rivers to the north and south of the capital city Colombo, the Kelani river and the Kalu river, remain flooded with the possibility of further floodwaters flowing from upstream areas should heavy rains persist. (Source: ReliefWeb)
When all these incidents took place, Sri Lankans reacted really fast with their big hearts and open minds to help out the people who are affected. Flood relief campaigns were being organized by individuals and groups in various different capacities, accepting donations online, offline, international and local. All groups joined hands together irrespective of competition, caste, creed or culture for a common goal; bringing relief to the people affected by the floods. While the military spearhead the search operations and rescue missions, the people of Sri Lanka who are tagged as some of the most generous people in the world, took the responsibility of providing relief and completeness to the helpless.
Contributing to this massive island wide initiative, IVolunteer International joined hands with the Rotaract Club of NSBM, RevPort Media and the Royal College Group of 2013 to organize “Flood-The-Love.” This project established a collection center at the American National College (ANC), Colombo on 24th of May 2016 from 2:00PM – 7:00PM. As the sun went down on Tuesday the 24th of May, “Flood-The-Love” concluded as a massive success.
Thanks to our generous donors, we were able to collect the following in great quantities.
- Water bottles
- Instant Noodle Packets
- Biscuit packets
- Toothbrushes & toothpaste
- Candles
- Mosquito Coils
- Dettol Bottles
- Panadol Packets
- Body/Face and Laundry Soap
- Sanitary Pads
- Milk Powder
- General Medicine (Siddalepa, Samahan)
- Coloring and Writing books
- Baby Pampers
- Towels
- Bed Sheets
- Men’s Wear
- Kid’s Wear
- Ladies Wear
- Cotton Pillows
- Razors and General Toiletries
The donations were taken to a representative of NicNac – Anything on Demand to be distributed to the affected areas. They will update us on the delivery process and we hope to keep our donors and followers updated through our Facebook Page. Visit the Facebook Photo Album.
We would like to extend a big thank you for our partners – Rotaract Club of NSBM, RevPort Media and the Royal College Group of 2013 for working hard to make this project a massive success. Also, we’d like to thank the management of the American National College (ANC), Colombo for providing us their space and NicNac – Anything on Demand for providing their valuable service in delivering the donations to the affected areas.
Last but definitely not least, a big thank you out to all of you, for supporting us in every way possible and contributing to elevate the quality of human life across Sri Lanka!
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