🔗 Share this article

Sri Lankan actor and musician GK Reginold navigates a small craft through Colombo's suburbs, aiming to bring essential supplies to those in desperate need.

Some of the families, he explains, have gone without help for days, isolated by the country's most severe natural catastrophe in recent years.

The powerful storm struck the country last week, causing widespread destruction that killed more than 400 people, with hundreds missing and leveled 20,000 homes.

But the deluge has also inspired a surge in community help, as people face what the president has described as the "gravest natural disaster" in its history.

"My primary motivation why I wanted to do this, is to at least ensure they get one meal," Mr Reginold states. "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 armed forces has deployed helicopters for rescue operations, while humanitarian aid is flowing in from foreign governments and non-governmental organisations.

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

Activists Pitch In at Community Kitchen

In Colombo's Wijerama neighbourhood, activists who demonstrated in 2022 are now helping run a makeshift kitchen that churns out food aid.

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

"People came after work, some rotated shifts and some even took leave to be there," one organizer states.

"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 volunteer work in 2016, when heavy rains and floods affected hundreds across the country.

Volunteers have compiled hundreds of calls for assistance, shared them to authorities, and organized the delivery of food.

"Every request we made, we got an overwhelming amount in response from the community," he says.

Digital Initiatives for Aid

A wave of coordination is also happening on the internet, where social media users have created a public database to channel resources and helpers.

Another community-run website helps donors find shelters and identify what is most needed in those areas.

Private companies have launched fundraising efforts, while media outlets have started an campaign to provide food and essential items like soap and toothbrushes.

Amid criticism over the management of preparations, the president has urged citizens to "set aside all political differences" and "come together to restore the nation".

Opposition politicians have accused authorities of ignoring weather warnings, which they say exacerbated the disaster's impact.

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

On the ground, however, there remains a feeling of unity as people begin the cleanup after the floods.

"In the end, the joy of helping someone else in a crisis makes that tiredness fade," one volunteer wrote after putting in long hours at aid centers.

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