Floods in Sri Lanka Prompt Evacuations

Floods in Sri Lanka Prompt Evacuations

21 minutes ago

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By CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press Writer

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - After the devastation wreaked by the seas, a deluge from the skies deepened the misery for tsunami-stricken areas Saturday, triggering flash floods in Sri Lanka that sent evacuees fleeing and increasing the threat of deadly disease as survivors shivered in relief centers.


A magnitude 6.5 aftershock jolted Sumatra as the world's aid efforts shifted into high gear in ways big and small: elephant convoys working in Thailand, global assistance reaching $2 billion with a fresh pledge from Tokyo, and the U.S. military launching one of the biggest relief missions in history.

The confirmed death toll from the quake and tsunamis that hit a week ago Sunday passed 123,000, and the United Nations (news - web sites) has said the estimated number was approaching 150,000.

A dozen American Seahawk helicopters sent from the USS Abraham Lincoln touched down in Banda Aceh and other parts of Sumatra island's devastated northwest coast, bringing relief supplies including temporary shelters. Also, a flotilla of cargo planes carrying Marines and water purifying equipment headed to Sri Lanka.

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