Sri Lanka-America Chamber of Commerce, an organisation established to open and maintain a rapport and working relations with American business and commerce community to bring a closer trade, commerce and investment environment between the two nations, based in the City of Las Vegas in the State of Nevada, has now effectively reached American lawmakers in the US Congress to bring deep awareness of the plight Sri Lanka underwent during the recent devastating cyclone calamity, US based sources said.

The American Legislative Branch has now reached the Chamber, and two of its lawmakers have addressed a joint letter to the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raising his additional awareness expressing “deep concern and alarm about the catastrophic human consequences of Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, a disaster that has inflicted tragic loss of life, caused widespread displacement, and left hundreds still missing”.

Commending the US administration’s prompt assistance in pledging US$ 2 million following the disaster, the two lawmakers in their communication to the Secretary reminded the scale of devastation that “demands a more comprehensive humanitarian and recovery response that destroyed homes or submerged, entire villages buried under mud, families separated, and infrastructure crippled”.

While opening awareness among other US lawmakers in Washington, DC, the two Congresspersons, who addressed Secretary of State Rubio were Dina Titus and Sydney Kamlager-Dove.

The two American lawmakers’ reach to Secretary Rubio was in response to the continuous dialogue the Founder-President of the Chamber Sanje Sedera, along with other Chamber Directors, had with many US Congressmen, and particularly with the Dina Titus, who is a ranking member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, representing the FA Committee in its sub-committee on South Asia. Titus has an additional role as the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Caucus in the US House of Representatives, and in late October this year, she engaged with the Board of Director of the Chamber at a ‘working dinner’.

Sri Lanka on Monday (08), received a major humanitarian relief consignment from China to support recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, which swept across the island recently.

A total of 85 tonnes of flood relief material, including life jackets, tents, blankets and sheets, arrived in Colombo on Monday morning and was officially handed over by the Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong.

The consignment was received on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka by the Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunathilake and the Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd).

The Chinese Embassy has indicated that the supplies are estimated to be worth around Rs. 400 Million.

The donation comes as emergency teams continue relief operations in several provinces severely affected by flooding, displacement and property damage from Cyclone Ditwah. Sri Lanka has appealed for international assistance as thousands of affected families remain in temporary shelters.

Government officials thanked China for its timely assistance and said the support would be rapidly deployed to the worst-hit regions. More international aid is expected in the coming days.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the Government stands ready to support the University of Peradeniya in rebuilding stronger, safer, and more resilient than before. She made these remarks while visiting the University of Peradeniya on Sunday  (07), where she met with student representatives and Heads of Departments affected by the sudden floods that swept through the campus on 27 November.

The visit aimed to personally inspect the damage, which caused extensive harm to academic buildings, student facilities, and key infrastructure. University officials briefed the Prime Minister on the severity of the impact, highlighting significant losses to the Faculties of Management, Agriculture, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the IT Centre, CDCE, gymnasium, swimming pool, and playgrounds.

The Prime Minister was also briefed on how the disaster disrupted both academic activities and the wellbeing of students and staff, including the loss of more than 110 computers, vital laboratory equipment, examination documents, and four central IT servers, with preliminary damage estimates exceeding Rs. 6 billion. She commended the swift evacuation of nearly 750 students from hostels located along the Mahaweli River and acknowledged the resilience shown by nearly 11,000 students who remained on campus during the crisis.

She expressed her appreciation to the Sri Lanka Army, the Disaster Management Centre, and local donors for providing food, water, and essential supplies at a time when access and communication were severely disrupted.

A joint engineering team has confirmed that university buildings remain structurally stable, although several require urgent repairs. With academic activities suspended until 15 December.

The Prime Minister discussed with the Vice Chancellor and emergency response teams the immediate steps required to restore normalcy and provide necessary support to students whose studies and daily routines have been significantly affected.

During these discussions, the Prime Minister issued a series of directives focusing on both immediate relief and long-term safety. These include restoring essential services such as water, electricity, and safe access pathways for students; accelerating the rehabilitation of heavily damaged faculties and laboratories; strengthening early warning systems for flood-prone areas; and implementing long-term mitigation measures such as riverbank protection, improved drainage, and the relocation of vulnerable facilities. She also directed the relevant agencies to fast-track government assistance, assuring the university community that the Government stands ready to help Peradeniya rebuild stronger, safer, and more resilient than before.

The meeting was attended by  Nalaka Kaluwewa, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education; Kandy District Parliamentarian Thanura Dissanayake, Professor Terrence Madhujith, Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya; and Professor R. W. Pallegama, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, along with Heads of Departments, officials, and student representatives of the University of Peradeniya.

[Prime minister’s media division]