Save for a scattering of torn tree branches lying beside Colombo’s Beira Lake, community halls overflowing with people preparing lunch packets of rice and curry, and supermarket aisles full of people buying donations for those displaced, there’s little evidence of deadly Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka’s capital.
That’s not to downplay the catastrophic weather that struck parts of the island nearly two weeks ago, bringing heavy rains, flooding and strong winds, claiming more than 630 lives. Beyond the affected areas, however, the country remains ready to welcome tourists for what is traditionally Sri Lanka's busiest season.
Houses are partially submerged after heavy rainfall in Kaduwela on the outskirts of Colombo on 29 November
As it stands today, nearly 200 people are still missing, and whole villages have been lost under landslides up to three kilometres long. The worst-hit areas remain in chaos. Families are grieving and some of Sri Lanka’s poorest communities are bearing the brunt, including tea pluckers whose housing punctuates the undulating hills of Uva and Nuwara Eliya, as well as rural communities close to the east coast.
In Colombo, witnessing the aftermath of the crisis unfold, I’ve been struck by the way the country has pulled together, and the resilience and generosity of the community, regardless of background or religion. Over the past week, charitable foundations such as Voice for Voiceless have cooked up over 10,000 hot meals, small businesses have donated their entire profits, and the unsung heroes of Sri Lanka, the street sweepers, have slowly revived roads. That’s not forgetting the army, naval and air force workers who’ve played a critical role in evacuating and rescuing untold numbers of people, some sadly losing their own lives in the process.
The mountainous and hilly areas of Sri Lanka are among the worst-hit. Parts of Uva and Central provinces have experienced great destruction, with residents still unaccounted for. The cities of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, however, are back functioning as normal and ready for tourists. Knuckles Mountain Range is best avoided for the time being, but for a complete natural immersion into the island’s flora and fauna, all of Sri Lanka’s main National Parks, including Yala , Udawalawe and Wilpattu, are open as usual.
The majority of Sri Lanka’s cultural sights, including its most popular sites: Sigiriya, Dambulla Cave Temple, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, are open and unaffected. And from Colombo, sweeping south throughout the well-loved beach towns of Bentota, Galle, Ahangama, Mirissa, Tangalle and Hiriketiya, everything is running as usual.
Sri Lanka's main highways are unaffected and remain open as normal. From Bandaranaike International Airport, it's easy to take the expressway to Colombo, Galle, Matara and Tissamaharama (for Yala), or to travel on to the Cultural Triangle in the opposite direction. Similarly, the main road from Colombo to Kandy is clear. Some mountain village areas are still experiencing road blockages or are impassable, but it's unlikely tourists will travel along those routes. Ella is fully accessible through the Southern Expressway via Wellawaya.
Damage following floods and landslides in Gampola in Kandy district on 4 December
Out of Sri Lanka’s 1,593-kilometre rail network, however, just 478km remains operational. The famed journey from Kandy to Ella will be out of action for some time. However, for rail enthusiasts who don’t want to miss experiencing Sri Lanka’s trains, it’s well worth exploring some of the country’s lesser-visited train routes, such as Colombo to Galle or Colombo to Madampe, the heart of the country’s coconut triangle.
“It’s crucial tourists don’t cancel their trips”, says licensed tour guide Suranga Liyanage, who has worked tirelessly to promote the natural beauty of Sri Lanka for the past decade. “Ahead of what is typically Sri Lanka’s peak season, December through to April, small businesses, tour guides, hotel owners and locals, many of whom rely on tourism to make a living, need support more than ever," he tells me.
The majority of the country’s top tourist destinations, from Galle and the entirety of the south coast, to Colombo , Jaffna and the ancient cities of Polonaruwa and Anuradhapura, all “remain unaffected and fully open for tourists,” says Liyanage. However, it's important to speak to your tour operator and local hosts before you travel to find out the most up-to-date situation on the ground, as well as making sure you have travel insurance.
While you might need to reconsider some small parts of your trip, including the world-famous train ride from Kandy to Ella , which he reveals has been “badly affected" and might be closed for months, the majority of spots that draw high tourist numbers remain open. “You’ll find warm, welcoming residents, each eager to show you why Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful and resilient countries in the world,” he says.
It’s a sentiment shared by popular Sri Lankan travel influencers Chathri Sahabandu and Achintha Jayasinghe, who are providing helpful updates on the status of the country’s roads and railway lines, along with real-time weather updates from hotels and resorts across the island. With the cyclone long since passed, they are urging travellers not to cancel their plans, saying: “Sri Lanka needs tourism more than ever, this season. Even more so, since the island has suffered so many hardships in the past.”
“It’s been tricky delivering aid to some of these hard-to-reach villages since vast sections of roads have completely disappeared,” says Aadhitya Jayaseelan, whose mother hails from Pussellawa, a severely hit area. Having spent days mobilising donations for some of the worst-affected from her home in Colombo, the next step, she says, will be "supporting these families in the rebuilding of their homes and helping them navigate the grief of losing family”.
Meals being prepared by Voice for Voiceless
Even in affected areas where aid has been easier to get through, the local cleanup effort is huge. Some homes that remain have been filled with thick sludge and mud from deluges of water and ensuing landslides that cut through towns and villages. In the fishing town of Negombo, Nalaka Perera, who works as a security guard for hotels and tourist-filled apartments, has just finished a four-day cleanup operation after his family home was submerged in nearly a metre of water thick with oil. “Everyone got involved,” he says. “My wife, my 14-year-old daughter and two young sons. It was awful to see, but at least we still have our home, unlike many others.”
Elsewhere, family-run hotels like Amaara Forest Sigiriya suffered flooding in eight of its rooms, yet it is already welcoming guests and running as normal. Danukh Amerasinghe, who established the hotel in 2015 alongside his father, aunt, uncle and sister, was moved by the dedication of staff, who all banded together to help clean up the flooded rooms and get everything back on track. “It took us about three days after the rains stopped and the water levels went down,” he says, praising his dedicated team, who were luckily all unaffected by the cyclone. “Our staff did an amazing job. We are so lucky to have them,” he shared.
So what can you do to help? Donations to charitable organisations within Sri Lanka that are providing medical relief, clothing, hot meals, dry rations, sanitary items or animal welfare are desperately needed. Here’s just a small selection of organisations you can donate to:
Based in Kandy, close to many of the rural communities that were hit badly by the intense weather and landslides, The Soup Bowl provides meals, water and dry rations to those in need.
Working with disadvantaged children year-round, Child Action Lanka is supplying clean drinking water, hot meals, care packs and dry rations to shelter camps throughout the Nuwara Eliya District.
From organising community cleanups and turning mosques into relief camps to delivering sleeping mats, food packs and drinking water to flood-affected citizens, Muslim Aid Sri Lanka is helping affected families across the country.
The Red Cross are operating mobile clinics in affected districts to treat injuries and provide essential health services, as well as delivering dry rations, hygiene items, safe drinking water, and emergency household essentials to thousands of displaced families.
As the flood waters recede, many animals and street dogs stranded in dirty water are at risk of disease. WECare’s emergency team of vets have created a pop-up field hospital to help animals in need.
Already helping some of the most marginalised groups in society, Sambol Foundation is supplying medical aid to those affected and displaced across the entire country.
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