Deputy Minister of Defense Aruna Jayasekara announced that the gove ment is prioritizing relief measures for those directly and indirectly affected by recent disasters.

Speaking in Parliament today (December 3), he stated that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed immediate action to assist the affected individuals.

The President has directed the relevant departments to allocate necessary funds from the Treasury to provide relief. According to the Deputy Minister, the disaster has displaced 139,439 families and 469,872 individuals across 24 districts, resulting in 18 deaths and 20 injuries.

Initially, 38,616 individuals from 10,494 families were housed in 247 shelters. Currently, 2,494 families and 7,946 individuals remain in 79 specific shelters.

Acknowledging that the number of indirectly affected individuals is significantly higher, the Deputy Minister emphasized that the gove ment is addressing both immediate and long-term disaster relief efforts to assist all those impacted.