Cyclone Ditwah not an exception

Our country is once again facing a national tragedy. Cyclone Ditwah has torn through the country with devastating force, unleashing floods and landslides that have taken over 300 lives to date and displaced tens of thousands. Entire districts remain underwater. Homes, bridges, hospitals, and livelihoods have been swept away in a matter of hours. Families wait on rooftops for rescue teams that are stretched far beyond their limits. In every sense, this is an unfolding humanitarian emergency.

Right now, the priority must be saving lives. Search-and-rescue operations, the provision of food, shelter, medicine, and clean water, and ensuring safety in temporary camps must receive the full force of the Government’s attention. As the country mobilises to respond, we must confront an uncomfortable truth,  this disaster was not unforeseeable, and it will not be the last of its kind.

In a few days or weeks, when the water recedes and the scale of damage becomes clearer, the conversation will inevitably shift to the economic cost. Businesses have been destroyed, agricultural lands ruined, and critical infrastructure crippled. The long-term economic burden will be immense, especially for a country already navigating financial vulnerability. These shocks are not isolated events but are part of a pattern of climate-driven disasters that Sri Lanka is increasingly exposed to. And yet, despite decades of warnings, the state of disaster preparedness remains dangerously inadequate.

Since the 2004 tsunami, Sri Lanka has made various attempts to establish disaster management frameworks and emergency-response institutions. But Cyclone Ditwah has revealed how shallow those systems remain. There are no sufficient stockpiles of food, shelter materials, or medical supplies. Search-and-rescue teams are few in number and lack the equipment needed for large-scale operations. Local Government officers and first responders on the ground have not received continuous training, not even in something as basic, yet essential, as handling emergency funds during a crisis.

Climate change must alter Sri Lanka’s reality. Extreme weather events are no longer once-in-a-generation disasters. They are regular occurrences, growing in intensity each year. Floods, landslides, droughts, and cyclones will shape the future of this island far more aggressively than ever before.

If we want to avoid reliving tragedies like this, we must commit to genuine, structural reform. That means investing in disaster-ready infrastructure, early warning systems that function, evacuation routes that are maintained, and public shelters that are equipped in advance. It means training and expanding emergency personnel, not reactively but continuously. It means decentralising disaster management so local authorities have the power and resources to act immediately, instead of waiting for orders from Colombo.

Equally important is sustainable land management. Deforestation, unsafe construction on unstable slopes, blocked drainage systems, and unregulated development have magnified the effects of this cyclone. The country must enforce zoning laws, restore wetlands and natural buffers, and rethink how it builds in vulnerable areas.

And finally, Sri Lanka must integrate climate adaptation into its economic planning. Natural disasters are now economic disasters. They disrupt supply chains, destroy assets, displace workers, and drain public finances. Building resilience is not only an environmental issue but it is an economic imperative.

Cyclone Ditwah is a national tragedy. But it must also be a national wake-up call. Sri Lanka cannot afford to rebuild the same vulnerabilities, the same weaknesses, and the same unprepared systems.