Community Resilience Shines Amid Sri Lanka's Cyclone Disaster

Thu Dec 04 2025 03:00:22 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As Sri Lanka grapples with the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, communities unite to provide relief, showcasing remarkable volunteerism and resilience.

In the wake of devastating floods caused by Cyclone Ditwah, which has left over 400 dead and many missing, Sri Lankans have come together to aid those in need. Amid the destruction, stories of hope emerge as actors, activists, and volunteers mobilize, providing food and support. President Dissanayake's call for unity has led to a surge in community-driven initiatives, with social media playing a pivotal role in organizing aid efforts.

Sri Lankan actor and musician GK Reginold rides a motorized fishing boat through Colombo's suburbs, hoping to bring food and water to those in desperate need. Some of the families, Mr. Reginold says, have not received aid for days, isolated by the South Asian island nation's worst weather disaster in recent years.

Cyclone Ditwah lashed the country last week, bringing catastrophic floods and landslides that killed more than 400 people, left hundreds missing, and destroyed 20,000 homes. But the deluge has also inspired volunteerism among its people, as they face what their president has described as the 'most challenging natural disaster' in its history.

The main reason why I wanted to do this is to at least help them to have one meal, Mr. Reginold tells the BBC. And I was so happy that I was able to do that. More than one million people have been affected by the disaster, and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared a state of emergency.

Sri Lanka's military has deployed helicopters for rescue operations, while humanitarian aid is flowing in from foreign governments and non-governmental organizations. Despite the aid, the recovery journey for Sri Lanka will be long, especially given its recent history of turmoil.

In Colombo's Wijerama neighborhood, activists who protested against former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 are now helping run a community kitchen that churns out food aid. Sasindu Sahan Tharaka, a social media activist, emphasizes the community’s willingness to support the initiative. Whatever we asked for, we got more than enough in response from the community, he says.

Online, volunteers have created public databases to facilitate donations, while private companies and local television channels coordinate donation drives for necessary supplies. President Dissanayake has urged civilians to put aside political differences and work together for national recovery as opposition politicians claim that mismanagement exacerbated the cyclone's impact.

Despite political strife, there's an overwhelming sense of unity among citizens as they help each other navigate the aftermath. “Disasters are not new to us. But the empathy and capacity of our hearts is greater than the destruction that occurs during a disaster,” Mr. Sahan reflected in a recent Facebook post, highlighting the indomitable spirit of the Sri Lankan people.