CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — A former Charleston resident is coordinating relief efforts in Sri Lanka after a cyclone killed 355 people and left even more missing over the weekend.
Stephanie De Silva, who lived in Charleston for three years and worked at the Medical University of South Carolina, is now in her home country helping with disaster response. The United States has committed $2 million to support relief efforts for the South Asian island nation.
“The waters keep rising, so right now the government has evacuated all the people around those areas,” De Silva said.
Widespread destruction across island nation
Sri Lanka’s president called the nationwide flooding the largest and most challenging natural disaster in the island’s history. The United Nations said 15,000 homes have been destroyed, according to an initial assessment on Sunday…