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Sri Lankan actor and musician GK Reginold navigates a small craft through flooded neighborhoods, hoping to bring food and water to those in desperate need.

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

The powerful storm lashed the country last week, bringing catastrophic floods and landslides that killed more than 400 people, with hundreds unaccounted for and leveled 20,000 homes.

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

"The main reason why I wanted to do this, 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 impacted by the disaster and a national emergency has been announced.

The armed forces has deployed helicopters for rescue operations, while relief assistance 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 difficulties in recent years.

Community Organizers Volunteer at Local Food Hub

In a Colombo suburb, activists who protested in 2022 are now helping run a community kitchen that produces meals.

The protests from three years ago were fuelled by a spiralling economic crisis that caused shortages of fuel, food and medicine. Widespread frustration exploded and led to political change. Now, that political activism is being channelled toward cyclone relief.

"Some volunteers came after work, some rotated shifts 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 considers the kitchen as an "continuation" of his community service in 2016, when heavy rains and floods affected hundreds across the country.

Volunteers have gathered hundreds of calls for assistance, sent the information to authorities, and organized the distribution of food.

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

Online Initiatives for Support

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

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

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

Amid criticism over the handling of storm readiness, the president has urged citizens to "put aside all divisions" and "unite to rebuild the nation".

Critics have claimed authorities of ignoring weather warnings, which they say worsened the disaster's effects.

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

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

"Ultimately, the satisfaction of helping someone else to save lives makes that exhaustion fade," the organizer wrote after putting in long hours at aid centers.

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