ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has received a total financial donation of over 8.5 billion rupees with the well wishers from the U.S. leading the list while receiving 2.3 billion rupee worth goods so far for the post-disaster rebuilding, Treasury Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma said.
Providing an update on the donations and insurance claims, Suriyapperuma said the country has been overwhelmed with the support that has been extended to Sri Lanka by the well wishers and citizens living overseas.
The total donation includes foreign currency equivalent of 9.49 million US dollars, he said.
“We have received this financial assistance from 47 different countries where individuals, organizations, have donated money,” Suriyapperuma said.
The top donors have been from the U.S. with a total amount of more than 1 billion rupees, followed by Australia, China, UK, Germany, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Bhutan, Italy, and Korea.
“These are being accounted and funds have been channelled to the needy on a straightaway, the government intervenes and provides several relief programs to support those families who are affected. Livelihood programs that have been launched to a set to assist these people, businesses to get back on their lives as early as possible,” he said.
The Treasury Secretary also said the total number of insurance claims received has exceeded 24,000 and so far 4.7 billion rupees worth of claims have been paid.
The worth of total insurance claims in being processed is 45 billion rupees, he said.
Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, a cornerstone of the economy generating around $3.3 billion in revenue in 2025 amid post-crisis recovery, suffered a major setback from Cyclone Ditwah, which unleashed catastrophic flooding, landslides, and infrastructure damage across all 25 districts.
The storm claimed over 600 lives, displaced hundreds of thousands, affected nearly 10% of the population (about 2.3 million people), and caused direct physical damages estimated at US$4.1 billion, equivalent to roughly 4% of the country’s 2024 GDP, according to World Bank Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) assessments.
It devastated nature-based tourism hotspots like Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Knuckles Conservation Forest, Horton Plains, and Peak Wilderness, UNESCO-recognized sites, through trail closures, road blockages, damaged rail links to the highlands, power disruptions, and accessibility issues during the peak season, leading to mass cancellations at hotels, homestays, and tea plantation experiences.
The disaster compounded existing vulnerabilities from the 2022 economic crisis and COVID-19, threatening rural livelihoods, food security, and wildlife, analysts say.
In response, the government under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake launched rapid humanitarian appeals asking donors for financial assistance with strong pledge of transparency and zero corruption. (Colombo/January 23/2026)
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