Flash floods in Sri Lanka force evacuations

Sri Lanka - Flash floods prompted evacuations and hampered relief work in eastern Sri Lanka on Saturday, adding to the misery of homeless tsunami survivors and increasing the danger of waterborne disease 

There were also rainstorms in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Saturday, the first since Sunday’s massive tsunami. Health officials warned that heavy rains could spread diseases like cholera and diarrhea. Thousands of uncollected bodies remain in and around the city.

In Sri Lanka, more than 15 tsunami refugee camps were drenched after heavy overnight rains dumped 330 millimeters (13 inches) of water over the coastal region which took the brunt of last week's disaster, chief local administrator Herath Abeyweera said.

Abeyweera, who was in the eastern town of Ampara, said that floods blocked access to the coastal district, damaged many key bridges and prevented relief convoys from getting through.

He added that about 20 Japanese medical workers weren’t able to reach camps that were four feet (1.2 meters) under water while all aid convoys were stuck by the river flooding.

Pounding rain forced 10,000 people to escape their homes adding to the problem of handling about 160,000 refugees in the Ampara district, he said.

Many key bridges either collapsed or were underwater, cutting off the main access roads to the region, the worst hit by Sunday’ tsunami that killed 28,743 people in Sri Lanka and left another 13,976 missing.

In Banda Aceh, thousands of refugees spent a horrible night under plastic sheets at one camp built on the grounds of the airport.

"With no help we will die," said Indra Syaputra. "We came here because we heard that we could get food, but it was nonsense. All I got was some packets of noodles."

Aftershocks also hit the region on Saturday, including a 6.5-magnitude earthquake 215 miles west of Banda Aceh, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Smaller aftershocks rattled northern Sumatra and the Nicobar and Andaman islands, a remote Indian island just north of Sumatra. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that Saturday’s aftershocks were too small to trigger tsunamis.-- Al-Jazeera News

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