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The floods and landslides caused by the cyclone have claimed the lives of more than 350 people (and counting) in Sri Lanka. Entire worker settlements are under water. Homes flooded so fast that people barely had time to gather their belongings before being moved to relief camps. Streets, access roads, and surrounding areas submerged overnight, cutting workers off from food, clean water, transport, electricity, and communication...

In some neighborhoods near factories in the industrial zones, wastewater from overflowing canals has spilled directly into workers’ homes. Water systems are now at risk, leaving workers without reliable access to sanitation facilities or clean water. Several factories are almost or completely submerged, while surrounding streets and passageways have become impassable, sealing entire clusters of workers inside flooded areas.

People are being moved to temporary safer locations as conditions deteriorate, often with little notice and only what they can carry. Others are still stranded, unable to leave because flood levels block their exits. Despite red-alert warnings, some suppliers have still ordered garment workers to report to duty, while others abruptly closed.

In times of crisis, the working class – especially garment workers, migrant workers and those living in industrial zones – are hit the hardest. For many, housing used to mean overcrowded and poorly serviced areas – which they have now lost to landslides and floods. With homes destroyed, commutes impossible, and factories inundated, many now face the terrifying prospect of losing not only housing and safety but also the wages they depend on for food, medicine, and school fees...