Gale force wind destroys homes in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 August 2008, 01:11 GMT]
Thirty seven houses were severely damaged and more than forty persons were rendered homeless when gale force winds struck Thampalakaamam village in Trincomalee district Thursday evening. , according to reports from Disaster Management and Relief Unit of the Sri Lanka government. Twenty two houses were partially damaged, government officials added.

The damages to civilian residences made 43 members of 19 families homeless.

The affected families are to be provided with relief and other assistance by social department authorities, Keerthi Ekanayake, official of the Disaster Management and Relief Unit said.

The power supply was temporarily cut off to Trincomalee. No further details of the destruction are available.

Althouth forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are expected, Sri Lanka's meterology department failed to issue any warnings, according to residents.

The U.S. Government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34 to 47 knots (62.7 km/h to 86.9 km/h, or 39 miles per hour to 54 miles per hour) of sustained surface winds.