KEY DEVELOPMENTS
h Between August 2009 and December 2010, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that more than 325,000 individuals, or 94 percent of conflict-affected internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka, have returned to their areas of origin in Northern Province.
h Torrential rains on November 10 and 11 caused heavy flooding in Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha, and Matara districts in southwest Sri Lanka, displacing nearly 20,600 people and damaging or destroying more than 300 houses, according to OCHA. Additional heavy rains from late-November to mid-December affected nearly 164,000 people in at least 22 districts nationwide, including nearly 114,000 individuals in conflict-affected Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu, and Vavuniya districts in the north, according to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) Disaster Management Center (DMC) on December 10. To date, the cumulative effects of flooding have not exceeded the capacity of the GoSL and other humanitarian agencies already on the ground to respond; however, USAID/OFDA staff continue to monitor the situation in coordination with USAID/Sri Lanka, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, and partner organizations.
h On October 14, U.S. Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis re-declared a disaster due to the effects of the complex emergency in Sri Lanka. To date in FY 2011, USAID has provided more than $11 million for conflict-affected populations in Sri Lanka, including $5 million in early recovery assistance from USAID/Sri Lanka and nearly $6 million from USAID's Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP). In FY 2010, USAID provided more than $30 million in humanitarian assistance in Sri Lanka, including nearly $10 million in returnee-focused assistance from USAID/OFDA for programs designed to lay the groundwork for longer-term recovery initiatives.