TROOPS CLEAR THE IMPEDIMENTS AND DETERMINEDLY ENGAGE IN RESCUE AND RELIEF OPERATIONS
Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Commander, Security Forces - West, overall in charge of rescue and relief operations, together with General Officers Commanding in 58 Division Brigadier Sumith Attapattu and General Officer Commanding in 14 Division Major General Ralph Nugera have been working all day and night, liaising with the DMC, District and Divisional Secretariats, Navy, Air Force , Police personnel and Grama Seva officials.\r\n \r\nNearly, 1800 troops belong to 14 Division ,58 Division ,Armoured Brigade, Engineer Brigade, Air Mobile Brigade, Commando Brigade, Special Forces Brigade, Regimental Centres at Cantonment Panagoda and Army Training establishments in the area are currently engaged in these rescue and relief operations. Besides, a few more troops of Mechanized Infantry Brigade with Armoured Wheeled Vehicles and Armoured Personal Vehicles are presently on standby for immediate respond.\r\n\r\nTroops of Security Force (West) were involved in this rescue operation and they were assigned with rescue and relief services, searching of missing personnel, relocation of victims to safer places, boat operations, stacking of sand bags, removal of water blockages, boulders, earth and fallen trees and other impediments on public roads and civilian houses, cleaning of most required waterways with small machinery for easy flow of water, clearing of debris and clogged garbage , food distribution, supply of medicine, support for restoration of power and telecommunication services and all the assistances to Civil Authorities to re-establish the normalcy the area. \r\n \r\nThe troops are still in the process of carrying out the humanitarian assistance and the rescue operations by using Thirty Armoured Wheeled Vehicles (30), Two Backhoe Loaders (02), Two Excavators (02), Two High Bed Trailers (02), Forty-five Boats (45) and all other types of Machinery. According figures updated on 30 May 2017, troops had been able to rescue more than 5400 flood victims and distributed 30,000 cooked meal packets.\r\n
