🔗 Share this article

Sri Lankan actor and musician GK Reginold rides in a small craft through flooded neighborhoods, aiming to deliver food and water to those in urgent circumstances.

Some of the families, Mr Reginold says, have not received aid for days, cut off by the country's most severe natural catastrophe in recent years.

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

But the flooding has also sparked a rise in community help, as citizens face what national leaders has described as the "most challenging 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 arriving from foreign governments and non-governmental organisations.

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

Community Organizers Volunteer at Local Food Hub

In Colombo's Wijerama neighbourhood, activists who protested in 2022 are now operating a community kitchen that churns out meals.

The demonstrations from three years ago were driven by a severe economic downturn that caused lack of fuel, food and medicine. Widespread frustration erupted and led to a leadership shift. Now, that civic energy is being directed toward cyclone relief.

"Some volunteers came after work, some rotated shifts and some even used vacation time to be there," a social media activist explains.

"We mobilized our network as soon as we heard what was happening last Thursday," he says.

The organizer also views the kitchen as an "extension" of his volunteer work in 2016, when torrential rain and floods killed hundreds across the country.

The team have compiled hundreds of requests for help, shared them to authorities, and managed the distribution of food.

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

Online Campaigns for Support

A wave of coordination is also happening online, where netizens have created a shared list to channel resources and helpers.

Another volunteer-backed website helps supporters find relief camps and identify what is most needed in those areas.

Private companies have organized donation drives, while local television channels have initiated an effort to provide food and basic necessities like soap and toothbrushes.

Amid criticism over the handling of preparations, the president has urged citizens to "put aside all political differences" and "unite to rebuild the nation".

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

Recently, opposition lawmakers staged a walkout in parliament, claiming that the government 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," one volunteer wrote after working long hours at relief sites.

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