Floods and mudslides: BMS responds to Sri Lanka disaster

A thousand families severely affected by the heaviest rains in Sri Lanka for 25 years are to receive much-needed help from BMS World Mission

May 2016 will be a month many in Sri Lanka will want to forget as torrential rains hit the country, creating massive destruction and loss of life.
 
Three villages were buried by massive landslides due to the excessive rain which was triggered by Cyclone Roanu. Over 100 people have died from flooding across Sri Lanka and more than 400,000 have been badly affected. About 185,000 of those who have lost their homes and are being housed in temporary shelters.
 
The Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has estimated the cost of the damage at $2 billion (£1.38 billion). Roads, telecommunications, irrigation systems, power supply lines and other infrastructure have been damaged as well.

 

“Within Sri Lanka, these torrential rains and the mudslides they have caused are being seen as one of the biggest disasters to hit the country, surpassed only by the 2004 Tsunami and the civil war,” says BMS Manager for Mission Steve Sanderson.
 
Over 1,000 badly affected families in the Colombo region (western Sri Lanka) are going to be helped by BMS through Sri Lankan partner LEADS. These families will receive much needed hygiene packs containing essentials like antibacterial soap, towels and bedsheets.
 
“BMS has partnered with LEADS for many years and is proud to stand by the Sri Lankan people during this time of trouble,” says Steve Sanderson. “Please pray for Sri Lanka as it starts the substantial recovery that is required to return large parts of the country to how they were before this disaster.”
 

Pray for the people of Sri Lanka as they recover from these awful floods and prayerfully consider donating to the work of BMS as we seek to provide for the needs of many vulnerable people throughout the world.

This article first appeared on the website of BMS World Mission and is used with permission.