An abundance of essential supplies from torches to clothes and dry goods is being donated to be sent to cyclone-hit communities in Sri Lanka as relief efforts have stepped up in the UAE.
Sri Lankans in the Emirates have also been wiring money directly to government accounts and aid groups in their homeland to help people left homeless by Cyclone Ditwah, and the flooding and landslides in its aftermath.
The Sri Lanka consulate and embassy in the UAE have each issued an appeal to people to assist more than 1.4 million people impacted by the cyclone, that has killed more than 470 people with more than 350 missing following devastating floods and landslides across the country.
“We will spread the message so more people will come in the next few days to contribute supplies,” said Ganga Tilakaratne, 33, a Sri Lankan chartered accountant who bought first-aid kits, rubber gloves and sanitary supplies with a group of 25 friends and dropped several packets off at the consulate in Dubai.
“We are shocked at the scale of the devastation. We feel it’s our responsibility to help because everything we are today is because of the people in Sri Lanka. We had access to free health care and free education in our country, so it’s our time to give back. We don’t think of this as a donation, we really want to help our people.”
The consulate will send the first batch of aid supplies from the UAE to Colombo o
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