🔗 Share this article

Local performer GK Reginold rides in a small craft through Colombo's suburbs, hoping to bring food and water to those in desperate need.

Some of the families, he explains, have not received aid for days, isolated by the South Asian island nation's worst weather disaster in memory.

Cyclone Ditwah lashed the country last week, bringing widespread destruction that claimed the lives of more than 400 people, with hundreds missing and destroyed 20,000 homes.

But the flooding has also inspired a rise in community help, as people face what national leaders has described as the "gravest natural disaster" in its history.

"The main reason for getting involved, is to at least ensure they get one meal," he shares. "And I was deeply gratified that I was able to do that."

More than one million people have been affected by the disaster and a national emergency has been declared.

The military has deployed helicopters for search and rescue, while humanitarian aid is arriving from foreign governments and aid groups.

But it will be a long journey to recovery for the nation, which has seen its fair share of difficulties in recent years.

Activists Pitch In at Community Kitchen

In a Colombo suburb, individuals who protested in 2022 are now helping run a makeshift kitchen that churns out food aid.

The protests from three years ago were fuelled by a severe economic downturn that caused shortages of fuel, food and medicine. Public anger erupted and led to political change. Now, that civic energy is being directed toward cyclone relief.

"Some volunteers came after work, some took turns and some even took leave to be there," one organizer explains.

"We reactivated the group as soon as we heard what was happening last Thursday," he says.

The organizer also views the kitchen as an "continuation" of his community service in 2016, when torrential rain and floods affected hundreds across the country.

The team have compiled hundreds of calls for assistance, shared them to authorities, and managed the delivery of food.

"Every request we made, we got more than enough in response from the community," he notes.

Online Initiatives for Aid

A flurry of activity is also happening online, where netizens have created a public database to channel resources and helpers.

Another volunteer-backed website helps supporters find shelters and see what is in highest demand in those areas.

Local businesses have organized donation drives, while local television channels have initiated an campaign to provide food and essential items like soap and toothbrushes.

Facing criticism over the handling of storm readiness, the president has urged citizens to "put aside all political differences" and "unite to restore the nation".

Critics have claimed authorities of ignoring forecasts, which they say exacerbated the disaster's effects.

Recently, opposition lawmakers protested in parliament, arguing that the ruling party was trying to restrict debate on the disaster.

On the ground, however, there remains a sense of unity as people pick up the pieces after the floods.

"In the end, the satisfaction of helping someone else to save lives makes that tiredness fade," the organizer wrote after putting in long hours at relief sites.

"Crises are not new to us. But, the empathy and size of our hearts is greater than the damage that occurs during a disaster."