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Sri Lankan performer GK Reginold navigates a small craft through Colombo's suburbs, hoping to deliver food and water to those in urgent circumstances.

Some of the families, Mr Reginold says, have gone without help for days, cut off by the South Asian island nation's most severe weather disaster in recent years.

Cyclone Ditwah struck the country last week, bringing widespread destruction 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 surge in community help, as citizens 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," Mr Reginold states. "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 rescue operations, while humanitarian aid is flowing in 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.

Community Organizers Volunteer at Community Kitchen

In Colombo's Wijerama neighbourhood, individuals who demonstrated in 2022 are now operating a community kitchen that produces meals.

The demonstrations from three years ago were driven by a severe economic downturn that caused lack of fuel, food and medicine. Widespread frustration erupted and led to a leadership shift. Now, that political activism is being channelled toward cyclone relief.

"Some volunteers came after work, some rotated shifts and some even used vacation time to be there," one organizer states.

"We reactivated the group as soon as we heard what was happening last Thursday," he says.

The organizer also considers the kitchen as an "extension" of his community service in 2016, when heavy rains and floods killed 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 more than enough in response from the community," he says.

Online Initiatives for Aid

A wave of coordination is also happening on the internet, where social media users have created a public database to direct donations and volunteers.

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

Local businesses have launched fundraising efforts, while local television channels have started an effort 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 political differences" and "come together to restore the nation".

Opposition politicians have accused authorities of ignoring forecasts, which they say exacerbated the disaster's impact.

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 sense of togetherness as people pick up the pieces after the floods.

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

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