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Sri Lankan performer GK Reginold navigates a motorised fishing boat through flooded neighborhoods, aiming to deliver essential supplies to those in desperate need.

Many families, Mr Reginold says, have gone without help for days, cut off by the South Asian island nation's worst natural catastrophe in memory.

The powerful storm 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 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," Mr Reginold states. "And I was deeply gratified 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 search and rescue, 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 fair share of turmoil in recent years.

Community Organizers Pitch In at Community Kitchen

In a Colombo suburb, activists who demonstrated in 2022 are now helping run a community 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 a leadership shift. Now, that political activism is being directed toward cyclone relief.

"Some volunteers came after work, some rotated shifts and some even used vacation time to be there," one organizer 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 "extension" of his volunteer work in 2016, when torrential rain and floods affected hundreds across the country.

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

"Every request we made, we got more than enough in response from the community," he notes.

Digital Campaigns for Aid

A wave of coordination is also happening online, where netizens have created a public database to channel resources and volunteers.

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

Local businesses have organized fundraising efforts, while media outlets have started an effort to provide food and essential items like soap and toothbrushes.

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

Critics have claimed authorities of ignoring weather warnings, which they say exacerbated 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 sense of togetherness as people pick up the pieces after the floods.

"Ultimately, the satisfaction of helping someone else in a crisis makes that tiredness fade," the organizer wrote after working long hours at relief sites.

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