🔗 Share this article Cyclone Disaster in Sri Lanka Awakens a Spirit of Community Action Watch: Sri Lankan communities submerged after devastating rains. Local actor and musician GK Reginold navigates a motorised fishing boat through flooded neighborhoods, aiming to deliver food and water to those in desperate need. Some of the families, he explains, have not received aid for days, isolated by the country's most severe natural catastrophe in recent years. Cyclone Ditwah lashed the country last week, causing catastrophic floods and landslides that killed more than 400 people, left hundreds missing and destroyed 20,000 homes. But the flooding has also inspired a rise in volunteerism, as citizens face what the president has described as the "most challenging 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." Volunteers have been taking fishing boats out to evacuate people and deliver aid. More than one million people have been impacted by the disaster and a national emergency has been declared. The armed forces has deployed helicopters for rescue operations, while relief assistance is arriving from foreign governments and non-governmental organisations. But it will be a lengthy process to recovery for Sri Lanka, 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 community kitchen that produces meals. The protests from three years ago were fuelled by a spiralling economic crisis that caused lack of fuel, food and medicine. Widespread frustration erupted and led to political change. Now, that civic energy is being directed toward disaster response. "People came after work, some rotated shifts and some even took leave to be there," a social media activist explains. "We reactivated the group as soon as we heard what was happening last Thursday," he says. At a community kitchen in Wijerama, volunteers prepare meals for flood-affected residents. The organizer also views the kitchen as an "extension" of his volunteer work in 2016, when torrential rain and floods affected hundreds across the country. Volunteers have gathered hundreds of requests for help, shared them to authorities, and managed the delivery of food. "Whatever we asked for, we got an overwhelming amount in response from the community," he notes. Online Initiatives for Support A wave of coordination is also happening on the internet, where social media users have created a shared list to direct donations and helpers. Another community-run website helps donors find shelters and see what is most needed in those areas. Local businesses have organized fundraising efforts, while local television channels have initiated 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 "set aside all political differences" and "unite to restore the nation". Critics have claimed authorities of disregarding forecasts, which they say worsened the disaster's impact. Recently, opposition lawmakers protested in parliament, claiming that the ruling party was trying to restrict debate on the disaster. In affected communities, however, there remains a sense of unity as people begin the cleanup after the floods. "In the end, the satisfaction of helping someone else in a crisis makes that exhaustion fade," the organizer wrote after working long hours at aid centers. "Crises are not new to us. But, the compassion and size of our hearts is greater than the damage that occurs during a disaster."