Sri Lankan minister admits not fully prepared to face major flood

Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-31 20:24:38|Editor: ying
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COLOMBO, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A Sri Lankan official on Wednesday admitted that the country was not fully prepared to face a major natural disaster, after over 200 people had been killed in floods and landslides following heavy rains last week.

Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that the local Department of Meteorology had predicted there was going to be more heavy rain and the Disaster Management Centre had also issued a warning.

Yapa said that the Department had issued accurate weather predictions based on its available resources.

However he said the warning had not reached the public in an effective manner and this needs to be addressed for the future.

He said that a system must be devised with the media to ensure the public get information on the weather effectively.

Yapa also said that while there are several shortcomings, the government will look to address those shortcomings to face a disaster in future.

He also played down his absence in the country when the disaster took place, saying his absence did not impact rescue and recovery operations.

The Minister said he had to attend a conference in Mexico representing the president but he returned to Sri Lanka earlier than the scheduled date.

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