No government aid and no officials for Walapane landslide victims, 18 days on

 “It happened over two weeks ago, but no one from the government has come to see our suffering.”

By T.M. Somapala-Rikillagaskada

Survivors of a deadly landslide in the Napatawala village in Walapane say no government aid has reached them and no officials have visited, 18 days after Cyclone Ditwa triggered the disaster that buried five homes and killed a woman.

The landslide occurred on the 27th of last month, but affected families report being left without basic supplies, information, or any formal assessment of their losses.

Our house, where I lived with my four daughters, was completely buried,” said W. M.Disanayake, a displaced resident. “It happened over two weeks ago, but no one from the government has come to see our suffering.”

Disanayake, who now rents a single room from a neighbor, added that his family has not received any dry rations or cooked food since the disaster.