Cyclone catastrophe in Sri Lanka awakens volunteer spirit

By Nile Post Editor | Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Cyclone catastrophe in Sri Lanka awakens volunteer spirit
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."

BBC | Sri Lankan actor and musician GK Reginold rides a motorised 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 460 people, left hundreds missing and damaged some 30,000 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 organisations.

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Cyclone catastrophe in Sri Lanka awakens volunteer spirit News

But it will be a long journey to recovery for Sri Lanka, which has seen its fair share of turmoil in recent years.

Activists volunteer in community kitchen

In Colombo's Wijerama neighbourhood, activists who protested against former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 are now helping run a community kitchen that churns out food aid.

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

"Some volunteers came after work, some took turns and some even took leave to be there," Sasindu Sahan Tharaka, a social media activist, tells the BBC.

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

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