In wake of Cyclone Ditwah, Sri Lanka faces continuing disaster risks

KOLONNAWA, Sri Lanka — When Denuwarage Kusumalatha (54) saw flood water reach her doorstep in the wee hours of Nov. 29, it was already too late. A resident of Kolonnawa, a town situated within Sri Lanka’s commercial district of Colombo, she rushed out of her home, with her most important belongings and family members to seek shelter at a nearby school. The relief center housed dozens of people from his neighborhood who had evacuated hours before Cyclone Ditwah hit the Indian Ocean island with alarming force, causing the mighty Kelani River to overflow and flood the plains. The official death toll due to the cyclone stands at 474 at present. Unlike Kusumalatha, many others failed to reach safety on time, leaving nearly 1.6 million displaced and 356 reported missing. In 2016, flash and river