Flood Victims - Sri Lanka

FLOOD RELIEF 2017


UNITED CHARITIES
Building bridges across broken hearts and dreams, united we shall rise once again.
Sri Lanka has seen its worst flood since 2003 and we created a strong force, a combination of six organization to make the relief distributions more efficient and productive. voice Foundation, SocialService.lk, CurePoverty, Virtusa Polaris, Kindness Collective with the help of other local charities such as EPFS Community, TEARZ Foundation, ROMA, Kandy Mums to name a few, and more than 1000 individual donors came together under #UnitedCharities to respond to the disaster. Team United charities were able to pool in their resources together with the funds received to ensure that aid reached the most vulnerable and affected areas. We have witnessed the true power of humanity and strive harder to provide the necessary food and shelter to people affected and displaced during this disaster, the shocked nation pulled through and we look forward to enhance our helping capacity and reach out for help to provide the following aide.

UPDATE ON FLOOD DAMAGE AND RELIEF EFFORTS AS OF 30TH MAY 2017

• Around 630,082 People belonging to 163,889 families were affected in 15 Districts due to the flood situation.203 Deaths and 96 missing reported as per the situation report issued by DMC on 31-05-2017 1800hrs. Further, over 1,509 houses fully destroyed and around 7643 houses partially damage. Approximately 73,561 people belonging to 19,019 families were located at 354 safe locations.
• The tensed situation is further experienced with continuing rainfall and warning issued for flood and landslides
• Many relief workers are dispatched by the government and the private sectors in rescue missions where people are helplessly trapped.

WEATHER FORECAST
• The weather condition predicted for 2nd June 2017 clearly depicts the condition that is not so favorable for people who are already facing this calamity according to the (Department of Meteorology forecasted issued 12 noon on 1st June 2017) we are to see more showery condition in the south western part of the country tomorrow. More rainfall is expected in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central and North-Western province. More warnings are issued as heavy falls of 75 mm are expected in areas such as Kalutara, Ratnapura, Gampaha, Colombo and Kegalle districts.
• Coastal areas and fishing communities along Puttlam, Pottuvil, Hambantota, Colombo and Galle are given warnings to be more vigilant as strong winds 50 mph is expected.


HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Neighboring countries such as Pakistan and India have responded to the call of help by the government. The contribution from the general public has been applaud able. What is an amazing factor is the massive amount of donation and volunteers that came forward to help in distribution, packing food, and assisting with medical help. At United charities, some of these volunteers are risking their own lives in order to get the necessary aid and survival kit to places where the roads are not safe for travel and other modes of transports are inaccessible, the Hercules efforts taken by these people, roughing out the flood water and managing to save lives and getting to the displaced villages via rescue boats is a definite factor to be appreciated.

• WHAT UNITED CHARITIES IS INVOLVED IN

We realize the importance of structural planning so that the procedure of assisting victims is done in an orderly manner so that there would be that there would be an equal distribution of necessities and fair help would reach people. At United Charities we have optimized our planning skills, combined with the efforts and ideas of the six organizations involved in planning out the best strategy to make an effective reaching out and restoring methodology that would benefit all the helpless victims of this tragedy.
We have identified the three cores areas that needed to be focused on to help rebuild our nation. This is an outline and the facts mentioned are included but are not limited to what we assist with:

1) Immediate relief work
As of 30th May 2017 at United Charities we were able to help

• Provide 20 individual family packs,
• Help 200 families in Galle
• 200 lunch packets to Malabe
• 150 families in Ingiriya
• 100 family packs to Ratnapura
• 100 families in Horana
• Provide clothes to victims in Pahiyagala
• 200 family packs and 200 sanitary napkins in Kalutara
• Medical packs to Palanda and Viyangalla
• 96 families in Ehiliyagoda
• 35 families in Thalduwa
• 230 lunch packets to individuals in Galwana Purana
In total we managed to reach 9087 FAMILIES and 31,806 INDIVIDUALS in need of help.

2) Rebuilding and Re-establishing

This is to act on helping cleaning out and trying to estimate the damages and help in the rebuilding of the houses. Further focus is on providing medical aid to the injured, children, and expectant mothers. Due the flood there is a skin disease that many are affected with, focusing on the needs and giving immediate medical attention.

3) Post relief work

The devastation would leave a mark on different communities. Assisting them in rebuilding their livelihood, estimating and evaluating their damages and costs, individual analysis and as a community as a whole. Providing them with the needs for their daily living such as food, dry rations, children’s’ clothes and books. Giving them a hand to get their household needs and bringing back a normalcy to their lives once more.

PHASE 1

▪ Immediate relief

We are working hard towards providing assistance and immediate relief, we have been tirelessly operating the last few days, and we have a lot more to go. As of 31st many we have helped 9087 and 31,806 people and countless more. With more aid and support we look forward in providing the needs of these desolate people further more. Progressively and effectively we have worked steadily from reaching 278 families and 1595 people on the 27th of May, 401 families and 1452 people on the 28th families and expanding our services by totaling to 9087 families and 31,806 and counting. The unity of people irrespective of religion or other differences, joining hands and our team United Charity is a major reason for our quick action and enabling us to extend our helping hand.

The high risk with water still rising or certain villages inaccessible and we had to unfortunately turn away, that did not stop us from trying again and again, and we as a group has managed to reach places and provide providence to people who had not eaten in a few days and had less access to clean water. Our team is diverse, representing difference groups and ethnicities who works towards only one goal, to help the people in need right now.

PHASE 2

▪ Cleaning and re location

The debris and dirt makes it unclean and unhealthy for immediate re location. The damage and devastation is too much. Some of the houses are submerged completely, lost their space of living and their belongings these people are helpless and stranded. Our next focus is to help them re locate and take on a sturdy cleaning process. Our team has initiated the process but the procession is taking time, with continuous bad weather and more rainfall, we are biding our time for better weather to start back on working hard and right now we are doing what is possible.

Dirty water everywhere means poor hygiene, due to this condition many people are acquiring diseases that may spread, we have set up medical help with volunteer doctors and other assistance to tend to their needs, we have asked for medical assistance and the generous donors once again provided us with over counter medicines they could get, we are immensely grateful for the funds that are flowing in. needless to say, the more funds we get, the more people we are able to help.

PHASE 3

▪ Needs of the children

It’s mid-year for many school going children and they are under tremendous loss of their belongings, clothing, books and other needs. The importance is once everything is cleared, they would be in need of suppliers to continue going to school and their education. We are looking for assistance to give them the support and the necessities to get back to school. Hindered and traumatized by this catastrophe, they need to get back to their homes and eventually to the normalcy of their childhood and school life.


PHASE 4

These families including their children not only need the assistance of material needs but also the services of proper counseling. Some have witnesses the loss of loved ones, homes swept away, survived a dangerous situation, all of them are emotionally drained and in need of someone to talk to them and make them strong again.

We are grateful for funds and services of volunteers who would come forward to assist us in our time of need. We kindly request and ask for assistance and funds from international communities, to lend us their helping hand in restoring our small island which has suffered a loss more than it could bare.

We are in dire need and appeal to kind hearts and the international community to come forward and help us with post-flood relief and restoring processes.

​Below we have listed the things we need to ensure that the children are re settled in their homes and back to school, in a safe and clean environment, for this we are looking forward to your support and contributions.

BACK TO HOMES AND SCHOOLS
THINGS WE NEED FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN:

• STATIONARIES
• SCHOOL UNIFORMS
• SCHOOL BAGS
• SHOES AND SOCKS
ESTIMATED COST PER CHILD
GRADES 5 AND BELOW ESTIMATED COST APPROXIMATELY 4,000 LKR/5000 LKR PER CHILD
GRADE 6 AND ABOVE ESTIMATED COST APPROXIMATELY 5,000 LKR/7,000 LKR PER CHILD

HOME AIDS

• HOME ESSENTAILS
• ADULT AND CHILDREN’S CLOTHING
• UNDERGARMENTS/SANITARY ITEMS
• TOILETERIES
• BED LINEN AND SHEETS
• RECHARGABLE BATTERY LAMPS
• CLEANING ITEMS SUCH AS CLEANSING LIQUIDS ITEMS.

At this point we also wish to sincerely thank everyone who has joined hands in helping us and continuing to do so. Every little bit you do is greatly appreciated.







Sri Lanka floods (as at 2pm, on the 30th of May, 2017) : Over 575,000 displaced, 99 missing and 188 confirmed dead. 



Houses have been submerged under water, Roads have disappeared, people are stranded with no food or water without any access to power or public transport. To put it straight, they are going through something that we cannot even imagine sitting in our comfortable homes.
while we can't do anything to stop Mother Nature from taking her course,. What we can do is contribute to the relief measures.

Please donate whatever you can, and every penny will change lives of the people for the better. 

I am currently coordinating with these trusted organizations,please support the hard work of these organizations which are working relentlessly to provide relief to the affected people. 

The funds raised will be aiding the victims in three phases. 

Phase 1 - Rescue and immediate relief
Phase 2- Cleaning and relocating
Phase 3 - Post flood relief, back to home/ school and micro financing. 

For more detials, drop a comment and I will reply  as soon as possible.