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Local actor and musician GK Reginold navigates a small craft through flooded neighborhoods, hoping to bring food and water to those in urgent circumstances.

Some of the families, Mr Reginold says, have gone without help 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 killed more than 400 people, with hundreds unaccounted for and destroyed 20,000 homes.

But the deluge has also inspired a rise in volunteerism, as citizens face what the president has described as the "gravest natural disaster" in its history.

"My primary motivation for getting involved, is to at least ensure they get 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 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 Sri Lanka, which has seen its share of turmoil in recent years.

Activists Volunteer at Community Kitchen

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

The demonstrations from three years ago were driven by a spiralling economic crisis that caused shortages of fuel, food and medicine. Public anger erupted and led to political change. Now, that civic energy is being channelled toward cyclone relief.

"People came after work, some rotated shifts and some even used vacation time to be there," a social media activist 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 volunteer work in 2016, when heavy rains and floods killed hundreds across the country.

The team have compiled hundreds of requests for help, 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 notes.

Digital Initiatives for Aid

A flurry of activity is also happening online, where netizens have created a public database to direct donations and volunteers.

Another community-run website helps supporters find relief camps and see what is in highest demand in those areas.

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

Amid criticism over the management of storm readiness, the president has urged citizens to "put aside all divisions" and "come together to restore the nation".

Opposition politicians have accused authorities of disregarding weather warnings, which they say worsened the disaster's effects.

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," one volunteer wrote after working long hours at aid centers.

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