Local actor and musician GK Reginold navigates a small craft through flooded neighborhoods, aiming to deliver food and water to those in desperate need.
Some of the families, he explains, have gone without help for days, isolated by the country's most severe 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 unaccounted for and destroyed 20,000 homes.
But the flooding has also inspired a rise in volunteerism, as citizens face what national leaders has described as the "most challenging natural disaster" in its history.
"My primary motivation why I wanted to do this, is to at least help them to have one meal," he shares. "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 declared.
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 rebuild for Sri Lanka, which has seen its fair share of difficulties in recent years.
In a Colombo suburb, individuals who demonstrated in 2022 are now operating a makeshift 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. Widespread frustration erupted and led to a leadership shift. Now, that civic energy is being directed toward cyclone relief.
"People came after work, some took turns and some even took leave to be there," one organizer explains.
"We mobilized our network 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 torrential rain and floods killed hundreds across the country.
The team have compiled hundreds of requests for help, 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.
A wave of coordination is also happening on the internet, where netizens have created a public database to direct donations and helpers.
Another community-run website helps supporters find relief camps and see what is in highest demand in those areas.
Private companies have organized donation drives, while media outlets have started an campaign to provide food and basic necessities like soap and toothbrushes.
Amid criticism over the management of storm readiness, the president has urged citizens to "set aside all political differences" and "unite to restore the nation".
Critics have accused authorities of disregarding forecasts, which they say worsened the disaster's impact.
Recently, opposition lawmakers protested in parliament, arguing that the ruling party was trying to limit debate on the disaster.
In affected communities, however, there remains a feeling of togetherness as people pick up the pieces after the floods.
"In the end, the joy of helping someone else to save lives makes that tiredness fade," one volunteer wrote after putting in long hours at aid centers.
"Crises are not new to us. But, the empathy and size of our hearts is larger than the destruction that occurs during a disaster."
