Human Response to Flood Disaster in Kandawalai in Kilinochchi District in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The flood is one of the extreme weather events in the world. In Sri Lanka, it is a major natural disaster and mainly occurs in the South-West and the North-East monsoon seasons. The human response strategies are explained in the concepts of disaster management cycle in PRE and POST stages. People do not satisfactorily respond during these stages in the study area. There have been no systematic studies conducted on how people are responding before, during, and after the flood in Kandawalai. The main objective of this study was to examine the human responses in PRE flood situations (mitigation and preparedness). This study selected three GN divisions. Questionnaires, surveys, and interviews were carried out to collect primary data and information. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. Some preparedness and mitigations were undertaken by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) in Kilinochchi during the PRE flood stage. The community has been using very simple mitigations for minimizing floods. Only 43% of them participated in the awareness programs on how to evacuate the flood areas and how to react to the early warning system. 57% of respondents mentioned that the flood impact can be reduced through better structural mitigation strategies. 10% of the respondents recommended controlling the illegal activities of sewage disposal and soil mining in the Kanakarayan River. The PRE-flood activities should be considered by relevant stakeholders together with the community participation, but the government has the main responsible to mitigate the impacts of floods in this particular area.