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Local actor and musician GK Reginold navigates a small craft through Colombo's suburbs, hoping to bring food and water to those in urgent circumstances.

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

Cyclone Ditwah struck the country last week, bringing catastrophic floods and landslides that claimed the lives of more than 400 people, with hundreds unaccounted for and leveled 20,000 homes.

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

"My primary motivation for getting involved, is to at least help them to have one meal," he shares. "And I was so happy that I was able to do that."

More than one million people have been impacted by the disaster and a state of emergency has been announced.

The armed forces has sent helicopters for search and rescue, while relief assistance is arriving from foreign governments and non-governmental organisations.

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

Activists Volunteer at Community Kitchen

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

The protests from three years ago were driven by a spiralling economic crisis that caused lack of fuel, food and medicine. Public anger exploded and led to a leadership shift. Now, that political activism is being directed toward disaster response.

"Some volunteers came after work, some rotated shifts 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 considers the kitchen as an "continuation" of his community service in 2016, when torrential rain and floods affected hundreds across the country.

Volunteers have gathered hundreds of requests for help, sent the information to authorities, and organized the delivery of food.

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

Online Campaigns for Aid

A wave of coordination is also happening on the internet, where netizens have created a public database to direct donations and helpers.

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

Local businesses have organized fundraising efforts, while media outlets have started an effort 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 divisions" and "unite to rebuild the nation".

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

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

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

"In the end, the satisfaction of helping someone else in a crisis makes that exhaustion fade," one volunteer wrote after putting in long hours at relief sites.

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