Data on impact of Cyclone Ditwah to Sri Lanka deliberated by high-level committee

The Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), chaired a meeting on the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) at the Ministry of Defence premises, with the participation of senior officials representing key stakeholder institutions.

The PDNA process is being implemented by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) in collaboration with the Department of National Planning (NPD) and other national and international development partners. The process involves the systematic collection, analysis and evaluation of data relating to physical damage, economic losses and social impacts across all affected sectors, in accordance with an agreed timeline.

The meeting was convened to raise awareness and to present preliminary PDNA data on the impacts of Cyclone Ditwah, which caused widespread damage to lives, livelihoods, infrastructure and essential services across several parts of the country. Following the completion of immediate relief efforts, the PDNA process has been initiated to facilitate the transition towards recovery, rehabilitation and long term rebuilding.

Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Minister stated that the PDNA is being conducted to develop a robust recovery process align with the Presidential Task Force on ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ programme. He further noted that the Task Force comprises eight subcommittees, with the PDNA committee serving as the foremost one overseeing the rest under his chairmanship.

The Committee held detailed discussions on the way forward to achieve the agreed targets within the designated timeframe. Key agenda items included preliminary estimates of damages and losses, the assessment of recovery needs, the nature of support to be provided by development partners, and potential coordination challenges.

The meeting concluded with a call for continued inter agency cooperation to further strengthen the PDNA process, enabling the formulation of a risk informed, resilient, and sustainable recovery plan for the country.

The meeting was attended by the Defence Secretary, the Director General of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, representatives from the European Union (EU), the World Bank (WB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), the National Planning Department (NPD) and senior state officials from line ministries.