We were too late: Lives lost to another system failure

WHILE the institutional architecture for earlywarning and preparedness existed, proactive, structured early evacuation did not occur at the scale or speed required to limit loss of life or mitigate the worst outcomes of Cyclone Ditwah. The lack of major preemptive action warrants closer investigation.

- By Kusum Wijetilleke

Yet these tools did not translate into timely, population-level protective measures during the crucial 24-48 hour window between confirmation of a strengthening weather system and the onset of widespread flooding.

The IMD bulletin of 24 November noted the "likely formation of a low-pressure area over Comorin and adjoining areas of southwest Bay of Bengal and Sri Lanka. .. around 25 November." Its "Summary of dynamic and thermodynamic features" likewise concluded that "a low-pressure area is likely to form over Comorin and adjoining Sri Lanka around 25 November." Under the section on "Probability of cyclogenesis," the report designated an "Intense Observation Period (IOP)"for the Sri Lanka-Tamil Nadu coasts from 24 to 29 November. Although the bulletin did not yet predict a storm or guarantee a landfall, it formally flagged likely development near the island and placed the Sri Lankan coast under heightened monitoring, an early-warning alert under the regional system.

Flood-risk districts such as Colombo, Gampaha, Puttalam, Kegalle and Badulla, together with the low-lying districts of the Eastern Province such as Batticaloa and Ampara, are well recognised within the disaster-management framework for recurrent flooding and, in central districts, frequent landslides. Local authorities in these areas have standing instructions to monitor hydro-

On 30th November 2025 in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka Army rescue boats transported villagers stranded near the Kelani River to safer locations. People boarded the boats carrying their essential items, hoping to escape the dangerous flood levels surrounding their homes/UNICEF/UNI908620/InceptChange

logical triggers. Yet none of these districts appear to have issued early evacuation orders or begun staged relocation while conditions were still favourable and before rivers, reservoirs or lagoons began to spill.

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