The President made these remarks while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the “Rebuilding Sri Lanka” national programme, launched to ensure the efficient management of the country’s post-disaster reconstruction efforts.
He said that the cyclone struck at a time when Sri Lanka was gradually recovering from a severe economic crisis, but stressed that the government did not feel the need to hide behind the disaster.
“We are struggling to face this disaster without compromising the agenda we have prepared,” the President said. He added that past governments had often used crises as excuses to cover failures, pointing out that for decades war and later epidemics were blamed for national setbacks. “We decided not to use this disaster in that manner,” he emphasized.
The President revealed that around 2.4 million people from nearly 700,000 families were affected by Cyclone Ditva. He said approximately 6,000 houses were completely destroyed, while about 110,000 houses were partially damaged. In addition, nearly 10,000 houses have been identified as unsafe, with residents advised to evacuate despite no visible structural damage.
President Dissanayake stated that he remains committed to the mandate given by the people and will not betray it under any influence. He also said that an estimated Rs. 500 billion has been approved to address losses caused by the disaster.
According to the President, Rs. 5,000 million has been allocated in the budget to rebuild 2,500 fully destroyed houses, while plans are underway to construct more than 50,000 houses in 2026.
“We are working to recover from this shock and build a better country than before,” the President said, adding that the immediate next step is to stabilize temporary structures erected in response to the disaster.
