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Sri Lanka battles flood of aid
25/02/2005 11:19 - (SA)
Colombo - Sri Lanka is struggling to cope with a flood of tsunami food aid and has begun distributing perishables even among those unaffected by the disaster, social services minister Sumedha Jayasena said on Friday.
Warehouses are packed with milk powder, tinned food, noodles, biscuits and bottled water surpassing the needs of the December 26 tsunami survivors, Jayasena said.
"I have ordered that the extra supplies be distributed as soon as possible to elders' homes and institutions caring for children and the disabled," Jayasena told AFP.
She said the decision to give tsunami relief to people unaffected by the catastrophe was taken to ensure that the food did not go to waste.
"All those affected by the tsunamis have already received food aid and will continue to do so wherever they need it," she said.
About 94 000 people were still in relief centres two months after the tragedy which killed 31 000 people and initially left a million people homeless, the minister said.
Another 407 000 people were living with friends and relatives until their homes could be either repaired or rebuilt.
"What we need right now is help to rebuild houses," Jayasena said, adding that the authorities were now shifting gear to move towards medium-term reconstruction.
She also presented legislation in parliament on Friday setting up a national disaster management council to deal with future emergencies.
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