Becoming gender sensitive in post-Ditwah SL

Natural hazards are not preventable but the transition of a natural hazard into a disaster could be averted

Life stands still for many people affected by cyclone Ditwah, especially in the outskirts. The disaster cannot be described as a sudden occurrence when looking at existing gaps in disaster communication to begin with. With over 600 lives lost and over a 100 reported missing (as of January 2026), it is clear that the authorities could have averted impacts on people if the weather conditions were closely monitored and early warnings were issued on time. 

However, one of the most alarming aspects in terms of disaster mitigation and disaster recovery is with regards to excluding women from these approaches. Sri Lanka has two monsoons and the bare minimum the authorities could do is to ensure that people including women are alerted and warned about extreme weather conditions. This is one of the basic steps to ensure disaster preparedness. Without some kind of communication regarding an impending natural hazard how would people even know that they are likely to face one? 

It had always been women who were at the receiving end of the 30-year civil war, Indian Ocean tsunami, 2016 floods, Covid-19 pandemic, the economic crisis and now the cyclone. When the tsunami occurred many didn’t even know what a tsunami was to begin with. But since then Sri Lanka had become vulnerable to various climate change events and that calls for some kind of basic preparation to avert impacts on people. However, when comparing the situation in the aftermath of the tsunami and currently post-Ditwah, much haven’t really changed. 

Latest statistics by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reveal that over 520,000 women of reproductive age, 22,000 pregnant women, 193,770 elderly women and 103,260 women with disabilities were affected post-Ditwah in Sri Lanka. This means that women could also fall into other levels of vulnerability such as poverty. Many women in the outskirts had no clue about an impending natural hazard until around two hours prior to a flood or landslide they encountered. Some had no time to take out their documents and other valuables. Others were swept away mainly due to lack of early warnings and preparation. The fact that the alerts weren’t communicated in Tamil too had raised concerns about the Government’s inability to maintain the trilingual policy. 

Following evacuation, women were once again ‘dumped’ into evacuation centres which lacked basic facilities including toilets and changing rooms. This was evident even during the tsunami and to realise that nothing much has changed over the course of 22 years is another concern. What successive governments could have done is to upgrade facilities in temples and schools that are most likely to be converted into temporary shelters to accommodate large crowds in the event of a disaster. Eventually, many shelters were overcrowded, further inconveniencing women, children, elderly and disabled people. 

Women have also been excluded in disaster recovery efforts due to issues in land ownership and lack of documentation to declare ownership of a land or house to obtain compensation. But even with documentation they had to languish in queues and waiting lists to obtain compensation. In most instances it was the men who received compensation while women who received compensation of Rs. 25,000 complained that it wasn’t sufficient enough as they had lost their kitchen supplies, gas cylinders and other essentials. Many women had no choice but to go back to their flood-affected households, especially in Colombo as they had to take care of disabled children who were unfamiliar with crowded settings. 

Sri Lanka has to move away from thinking that it is always men that are affected by a natural hazard. Men and women are impacted differently in the event of a natural hazard mainly because they play different roles in society. A male breadwinner will face a different set of challenges to that of a female breadwinner in the aftermath of a natural hazard. Natural hazards may also impact livelihoods, mainly female-headed households. 

Therefore this is a golden opportunity for the incumbent Government to include women in disaster recovery efforts and set an example. A moment to reflect on the damage done by excluding women in disaster preparedness activities. Why early warnings are necessary, preparing women to evacuate at the onset of a natural hazard and to minimise impacts. After all, natural hazards are not preventable but the transition of a natural hazard into a disaster could be averted.