A State of Emergency has been declared in order to provide the legal safeguards and provisions necessary to manage the prevailing disaster situation and to enable a speedy and efficient recovery process, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated.

President Dissanayake assured that the state of emergency will be used solely to facilitate disaster management and effective rebuilding of the country, and not for any form of repressive action.

The President made these remarks in a special statement to the nation.

Furthermore, the President said it is the responsibility of the government to manage the crisis, restoring normalcy and also bringing affected areas to a condition better than before.

“When natural disasters occur and they cannot be controlled, the government bears responsibility for the threefold process of disaster and emergency management, restoring normalcy, and improving conditions beyond what previously existed. We hope to take the necessary steps ahead, no matter how challenging the situation may be,” President Dissanayake said.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also noted that authorities are currently engaged in the biggest rescue and relief operation in the history of the country.

President Dissanayake highlighted the scale of the destruction caused by floods and landslides and the challenges faced by authorities to restore normalcy in the country.