The President emphasized this at a meeting he presided at the Mahawewa Divisional Secretariat during an inspection tour of flood relief activities in the Chilaw area on May 26afternoon. The meeting was attended by political representatives and public officials in the area.

The President who advised public officials to continue with the welfare activities launched for the benefit of affected families asked them to pursue rescue operations systematically with the assistance of the Armed Forces. The President who said relief activities were undertaken in two stages, added that the government would act in a very responsible manner to provide relief during the calamity, as well as to provide welfare activities during the post disaster period.

The President also directed officials to launch a special relief programme to assist government pensioners and the lower rungs of government servants affected by the disaster situation. At this meeting, people in the area explained the damage caused to their livelihoods during the disaster and requested that they be given easy financial credit to rebuild their livelihoods. President Sirisena who gave a patient hearing to the woes expressed by the people directed the relevant officials to submit a report containing information about the matters raised.

The President who highly appreciated the mission undertaken by Public Officials and the Security Forces to provide relief to the affected expressed his deepest sympathies regarding the death of a Police Constable engaged in the humanitarian mission of saving flood affected people. The President also directed officials to take urgent steps to cater to the welfare of the family of the Police Constable concerned.

The President later inspected the Medagoda bridge which had subsided with the floods and said steps would be taken to rebuild the bridge. The President who also listened to the grievances of the people in the area later visited the relief camp at the Nattandiya Sri Pushparama Viharaya and looked into the needs and shortcomings of the distressed people accommodated there. Nearly 250 people belonging to 40 displaced families are accommodated at this relief camp and the President also had an interaction with them.