UNICEF Warns of Deepening Crisis for 275,000 Children After Cyclone Ditwah

With communication lines cut and access routes blocked, authorities warn the real number of affected children may be significantly higher than initial estimates.

Cyclone Ditwah has triggered a rapidly escalating humanitarian emergency across Sri Lanka, leaving over 1.4 million people affected and placing more than 275,000 children at immediate risk. The cyclone made landfall on the island’s East Coast on 28 November, unleashing torrential rain, powerful winds, flash floods and landslides that devastated homes, infrastructure, and entire communities.

With communication lines cut and access routes blocked, authorities warn the real number of affected children may be significantly higher than initial estimates.

“Children Urgently Need Help”: UNICEF

UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, Emma Brigham, expressed deep concern about the rapidly deteriorating situation:

“UNICEF remains deeply concerned about the destruction the cyclone has caused to children and the vital services they depend on for their safety and well-being. We stand in solidarity with families who have suffered losses and displacement and extend our deepest condolences to those mourning loved ones.”

Brigham warned that it is now a race against time to reach vulnerable children in hard-hit areas:

“Children urgently need help… And while the cyclone may have passed, the consequences have not.”

Children Face Heightened Risks After Storm Destruction

The severe damage inflicted by Cyclone Ditwah has disrupted essential services and forced families from their homes, creating conditions ripe for:

• Disease outbreaks, including diarrhoea and waterborne illnesses

• Malnutrition, as food systems and supply lines collapse

• Unsafe living environments, with thousands sheltered in overcrowded facilities

• Severe emotional and psychological distress, especially among children who endured the storm’s chaos

Destroyed roads, damaged health facilities and flooded communities are limiting the ability of emergency teams to reach those in need. Early reports indicate that numerous schools, hospitals, water systems and local markets have been heavily impacted.

Crisis Exacerbates Worsening Poverty

Cyclone Ditwah is hitting Sri Lanka at a moment of deep vulnerability. Many households are still struggling to recover from multiple shocks, including the country’s 2022 economic crisis, which pushed millions into hardship.

A World Bank 2025 report notes that national poverty has more than doubled since 2019—from 11.3 per cent to 24.5 per cent—leaving families with little financial resilience. Rising food prices, reduced incomes and weakened public services have made basic necessities increasingly unaffordable for many.

The cyclone threatens to push even more families over the brink.

UNICEF Mobilizes Life-Saving Support

UNICEF Sri Lanka is working closely with the Government, national disaster authorities, and humanitarian partners to coordinate assessments and deliver critical aid. The agency is scaling up emergency operations across the hardest-hit districts and appealing for additional funding to provide:

• Clean drinking water and water purification supplies

• Essential nutrition support for children and mothers

• Psychosocial services to help children cope with trauma

• Emergency education kits to support learning continuity for displaced students

• Health and hygiene supplies to prevent disease spread

Teams on the ground are working to reach isolated communities, establish safe shelters and restore vital services.

A Call for Urgent Support

UNICEF stresses that immediate international support is crucial to protect children, prevent disease outbreaks, restore essential services and help families rebuild.

Cyclone Ditwah’s devastation will have long-term consequences for Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable populations unless urgent resources are mobilized. UNICEF warns that the window to prevent a deeper crisis is rapidly narrowing.