COLOMBO, Dec. 22 -- Cyclone Ditwah, which battered Sri Lanka in late November, has caused an estimated US$4.1 billion in direct physical damage to buildings, agriculture and critical infrastructure, according to a World Bank Group Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report released on Monday (22).

The damage is equivalent to around 4% of Sri Lanka's gross domestic product (GDP), marking one of the most severe climate-related economic shocks the country has faced in recent years.

The cyclone, among the most intense and destructive in Sri Lanka's recent history, affected nearly two million people and about 500,000 families across all 25 districts, severely disrupting livelihoods, essential services and economic activity....