UNDP's assessment confirms widespread economic fallout from Cyclone Ditwah

Nearly all communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka suffered damage to homes, roads and other critical infrastructure, according to a new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assessment released on Wednesday, underscoring the scale of recovery needs and the urgency of accessible financing for the most vulnerable.

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The qualitative assessment, based on key informant interviews with 510 local officials, business leaders, and community representatives across 85 divisional secretariat divisions in the 22 most affected districts, found that 95% of respondents reported damage to residential, transport, industrial or community infrastructure within their area, with housing and roads most frequently cited.

Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka on 26 November, 2025, and is the country’s deadliest disaster since the 2004 tsunami. An initial UNDP geospatial analysis, released in December 2025, estimated that floodwaters inundated nearly 20% of the country’s land area, exposing approximately 2.3 million people. Building on this analysis, the qualitative assessment findings point to deep and widespread recovery needs, with many communities lacking the materials, labour, and financing required to rebuild.