Strong winds damage nearly 700 houses

Strong winds that hit 12 districts during the past two days have damaged nearly 700 houses, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said today.

It said the districts of Galle, Kegalle, Jaffna, Puttalam, Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura Batticloa and Jaffna were affected by the winds.

The DMC quoting the Meteorology Department said wind speeds were still high over the island and over the seas.

“Fairly strong winds of up to 50 to 60 kmph are likely over the island particularly in the Central, North-Western, North-Central, Eastern and Western Provinces and in the Hambantota district,” it said.

The seas off Colombo to Kankasanturai via Puttalam and the seas off Hambantota to Pottuvil can be rough at times because the wind speeds could increase up to 60-70 kmph at times. The Naval and fishing communities are requested to be vigilant.

Showers or thundershowers are expected at times in the Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces and in Kalutara, Galle and Matara districts and fairly heavy rain fall of about 75 mm can be expected at some places according to the forecast issued by the Met Department.

Meanwhile vehicular movements were disrupted along the Hatton –Colombo main because of a landslide at Shannon Estate in Hatton. Sluice gates of the Laksapana and Upper Kotmale Reservoirs were kept open yesterday as well. (Yohan Perera)

Additional reports by Santha Chandrasiri and Ranjith Rajapaksa