JAKARTA - Cyclone Ditwah destroyed 4.1 billion dollars worth of buildings, crops, and roads when it tore through Sri Lanka in late November, the World Bank said December 22. The bank called it one of the most intense and destructive cyclones in Sri Lanka's recent history.

The storm, which happened at around the same time as Sumatra’s flood in Indonesia, hit close to 2 million people and 500,000 families across all 25 districts. Kandy district in Central province got hit hardest, with 689 million dollars in losses from flooding and landslides. 

Roads, bridges, railways, and water systems took 1.735 billion dollars in damage, about 42 percent of all losses. That cuts off communities from markets and basic services. 

Homes lost 985 million dollars worth of structures and contents. The bank also added that this shows Sri Lanka needs better flood control and buildings that can stand up to high winds and flooding.

Farmers lost 814 million dollars in paddy, vegetables, maize, livestock, and fish. The losses threaten food supplies and how rural families make a living in areas already struggling with poverty. 

Schools, health centers, and businesses along major rivers lost 562 million dollars, which means kids can't go to class, people can't get healthcare, and local economies stop working.

World Bank Country Manager Gevorg Sargsyan said as we look closely at the hardest-hit districts, we see that deep-rooted vulnerabilities have left communities especially vulnerable. 

In Badulla, Kegalle, and Puttalam many households were already poor and now face some of the highest losses to homes. In Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, about two in four households are headed by women or older persons. The bank freed up 120 million dollars from existing projects to help with recovery.