Global Prepositioning Program Helps Families in Sri Lanka Flooding

When deadly floods from the summer monsoon rains forced thousands of families from their homes in western Sri Lanka in early June, emergency workers used supplies provided by AmeriCares to help survivors.

Our partner IOM, the International Organization for Migration, distributed relief supplies from AmeriCares to 250 families affected by the severe flooding, which killed 23 people and destroyed 400 acres of farm land. The supplies are part of AmeriCares Global Pre-Positioning Initiative and included tarps, sleeping mats, jerry cans and hygiene kits. IOM was able to begin distributing the supplies within 72 hours of the emergency. 

AmeriCares routinely pre-positions emergency resources in countries at risk for disasters, especially those prone to seasonal flooding and storms. In this year alone, emergency responders in four countries have used AmeriCares pre-positioned resources to protect the health of survivors after disasters. AmeriCares has been working in Sri Lanka since 1997; when the Southeast Asia tsunami devastated the island nation in 2004, AmeriCares responded with more than $20 million in relief to expand and restore health services.