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Local actor and musician GK Reginold navigates a small craft through Colombo's suburbs, aiming to deliver food and water to those in desperate need.

Many families, Mr Reginold says, 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, bringing catastrophic floods and landslides that claimed the lives of more than 400 people, with hundreds missing and destroyed 20,000 homes.

But the flooding has also sparked a rise in community help, as people face what national leaders 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 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 announced.

The armed forces has sent helicopters for search and rescue, while humanitarian aid is flowing in from foreign governments and non-governmental organisations.

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

Community Organizers Volunteer at Community Kitchen

In Colombo's Wijerama neighbourhood, individuals who protested in 2022 are now helping run a community kitchen that produces food aid.

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

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

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

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

The team have gathered hundreds of requests for help, sent the information to authorities, and organized the distribution of food.

"Every request we made, 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 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 launched donation drives, while media outlets have started an campaign to provide food and essential items like soap and toothbrushes.

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

Critics have claimed authorities of ignoring weather warnings, which they say worsened the disaster's effects.

Recently, opposition lawmakers staged a walkout in parliament, claiming that the ruling party was trying to restrict debate on the disaster.

In affected communities, however, there remains a feeling of togetherness as people begin the cleanup after the floods.

"In the end, the joy of helping someone else to save lives makes that exhaustion fade," one volunteer wrote after putting in long hours at aid centers.

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