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COLOMBO:
Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka last month, caused an estimated $4.1 billion in
direct physical damage
to buildings, agriculture and critical infrastructure, according to a World Bank report released Monday.
The natural disaster killed more than 640 people, and affected more than 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s population. Floods and landslides caused by the cyclone left extensive damage throughout the South Asian island nation.
The total damage estimated by the World Bank is equivalent to about 4 percent of Sri Lanka’s GDP.
Infrastructure, including roads, bridges, railways and water supply networks, accounted for the largest share of damage, at an estimated $1.735 billion, according to the World Bank’s Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report.
Housing damage was valued at $985 million, accounting for 24 percent of the total damage.
