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Sri Lankan actor and musician GK Reginold rides in a small craft through Colombo's suburbs, hoping to deliver food and water to those in desperate need.

Some of the families, he explains, have gone without help for days, isolated by the country's most severe natural catastrophe in memory.

Cyclone Ditwah lashed the country last week, bringing catastrophic floods and landslides that killed more than 400 people, with hundreds missing and leveled 20,000 homes.

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

"The main reason for getting involved, is to at least help them to have one meal," Mr Reginold states. "And I was so happy that I was able to do that."

More than one million people have been affected 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 flowing in from foreign governments and non-governmental organisations.

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

Community Organizers Volunteer at Community Kitchen

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

The protests from three years ago were fuelled by a severe economic downturn that caused shortages of fuel, food and medicine. Public anger exploded and led to a leadership shift. Now, that civic energy 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 views the kitchen as an "extension" of his volunteer work in 2016, when torrential rain and floods affected hundreds across the country.

Volunteers have compiled hundreds of requests for help, shared them to authorities, and organized 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 public database to channel resources and helpers.

Another community-run website helps donors find relief camps and see what is most needed in those areas.

Private companies have launched donation drives, while local television channels have initiated an campaign 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 "come together to rebuild the nation".

Critics have accused authorities of ignoring forecasts, which they say worsened the disaster's impact.

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

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

"Ultimately, the joy of helping someone else in a crisis makes that exhaustion fade," the organizer wrote after putting in long hours at relief sites.

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