According to Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Center (DMC), at least 390 people have been killed and more than 350 are missing after Tropical Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on Thursday, bringing heavy rainfall and destructive winds across the country. The storm triggered widespread flooding and landslides, believed to be the worst in recent history. Over 1.3 million people have been affected across all 25 districts.
As of Tuesday, approximately 215,000 people have been displaced and are sheltering in over 1,300 government-run safety centers.
Cyclone Ditwah formed over Sri Lanka on Thursday and moved northeastward and then northward until Sunday. It passed over Sri Lanka and the southwest Bay of Bengal, approximately 70 kilometers east of the coast of Tamil Nadu in southeastern India. The maximum sustained winds were 65 kilometers per hour.
On Tuesday, the DMC reported that the districts of Gampaha, Mannar, Colombo, and Puttalam in Sri Lanka have been hit hardest. More than 16,000 houses have been fully or partially destroyed across the country, in addition to widespread disruptions to infrastructure, including the rail network and the power grid.
United Nations mobilizes support response
On Monday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the UN is closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka and coordinating with the country's disaster management authorities.
“The government is taking the lead in search-and-rescue operations. But our Humanitarian Country Team is preparing a joint response plan, supported by the OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific,” Dujarric told reporters in New York.
He added that the UN in Sri Lanka is rapidly mobilizing to provide immediate, life-saving support, including food, safe drinking water, hygiene items, shelter supplies, maternity kits, and dignity kits.
The UN and national authorities are conducting a joint rapid needs assessment to ensure support reaches those in greatest need.
On Saturday, Sri Lanka requested assistance via the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). Any country affected by a disaster, in Europe and beyond, can request emergency assistance through the mechanism.
France has offered a heavy urban search and rescue team; Germany and Poland have offered emergency medical teams; and a rapid response coordinator from the Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC) has been deployed to Sri Lanka.
The Japanese government has decided to dispatch an international emergency assistance team and a medical team to the affected area based on the medical and other needs assessed by a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) assessment team.
Severe flooding hits Southeast and South Asia
On Monday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that millions of people in Southeast and South Asia have been affected by severe flooding.
Widespread devastation, displacement, and urgent humanitarian needs are also being reported in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Health risks from waterborne diseases and sanitation challenges are mounting, and flooded roads and damaged bridges are cutting off access to essential services.
Intense monsoon rains and other extreme weather events driven by climate change such as tropical storms have triggered rapid-onset floods and landslides, destroying homes, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure. Many families have lost their homes and incomes, and thousands are currently staying in evacuation centers.
In Indonesia, severe flooding and landslides impacted 39 districts in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra following high-intensity rains linked to Tropical Cyclone Senyar. Some 1.1 million people have been affected, nearly 300,000 of whom have been displaced. There have been 442 deaths and 646 injuries reported.
Southern Thailand has experienced widespread flooding due to heavy rainfall over the past week, and the death toll has risen, particularly in the southern region. According to the ASEAN Disaster Information Network (ADINET), 168 people have died and nearly 3 million have been affected.
In Malaysia and Vietnam, which were hit by Tropical Cyclone Koto, localized flooding has disrupted transportation and essential services, further endangering communities already facing economic pressures and climate-related shocks. The IFRC warns that recovery will be slow and difficult without sustained support.
The IFRC reports that Red Cross and Red Crescent societies are at the forefront of the response, but the scale of the needs is growing faster than local capacity.
The Red Cross network is calling for urgent international support to address immediate humanitarian needs and assist communities in rebuilding, while emphasizing that these floods are a stark reminder that climate-driven disasters are becoming the new normal, making investment in resilience and preparedness critical.