Public Private Partnership in Urban Disasters: Responding to Unexpected Fire in Thotalanga

Following the on-ground assessment at the emergency site in Kajeemawatte, Thotalanga, A-PAD Sri Lanka was able to successfully bring on board, a collaborated effort in providing early recovery support to those affected by the fire. Public and Private enterprises such as the Disaster Management Center (DMC), Colombo District Secretariat, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives and Sri Lanka Air Force lead the process while coordination between the parties was facilitated by the A-PAD platform.

The joint partnership identified that resettling the affected families would be first priority. As such, homes were reconstructed and relocating families took place on the  9th of April 2021. Apart from rebuilding homes, essentials such as COVID-19 wellness packs, family hygiene packs, children’s packs and kitchen utensils were distributed to the families, as an initial step towards restarting their upturned lives all over again .

The event took place in the presence of Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Director General, DMC, Acting CEO, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives, Ms. Dilini Fernando, CSR Manager, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives and Mr. Firzan Hashim, Country Director, A-PAD SL. In coordinating on ground efforts, Sri Lanka Air Force and the Colombo District Secretariat under the supervision of Mr. Pradeep Yasarathna, GA Colombo, performed a commendable service.

The rapid response which bloomed out of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) was well appreciated by those affected and the collaboration was satisfactory in that, it provided new outlets for those who needed it the most in the face of a crisis.