For Sri Lankans like Layani Rasika Niroshani, the sound of heavy monsoon showers was music to their ears. It's a familiar refrain that signals the arrival of the rainy season in the country's hilly central region of Badulla. But this year was different. Cyclone Ditwah brought devastation on its heels, leaving thousands without homes and hundreds dead.
Niroshani's family home was one of them. A landslide hit as they were inside, trapping her brother and his wife beneath a mountain of mud and debris. The house was destroyed, taking all their belongings with it. Miraculously, Niroshani's brother managed to pull her out through a broken window, but the couple had nothing to salvage.
"I have to rebuild from scratch," Niroshani said, her voice laced with despair. "Sometimes that's even worse than living."
Cyclone Ditwah has left over 1.1 million people affected, with more than 360 missing and feared dead. The scale of the damage is still unclear, but it's clear that this disaster will have a lasting impact on Sri Lanka.
In Ratnapura, the city was among the worst hit areas. Small rescue boats traversed the floodwaters to help stranded residents, while many complained they had been given no warning to evacuate. Some families watched in horror as their homes were washed away by the rising river.
JA Nilanthi's family was among them. They had received no warning from officials and were left trapped on a roof for two days with floodwaters lapping at their doorstep. "I have never been this scared my whole life," she said.
As the death toll rises, Sri Lanka is facing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. The country is still recovering from economic collapse in 2022, which left it bankrupt and struggling to access basic necessities. Tourism, once a vital source of income, has taken a hit as well.
With further rain forecast for this week, the situation looks set to worsen. Sri Lanka's president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, described Cyclone Ditwah as "the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history." The country needs help now more than ever, but it remains to be seen if aid will arrive in time.
As Niroshani rebuilds her life from scratch, she can't help but wonder what the future holds for Sri Lanka. Will this disaster mark a turning point for the country, or will it continue to struggle? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the people of Sri Lanka will need all the support they can get in the days and weeks ahead.
Niroshani's family home was one of them. A landslide hit as they were inside, trapping her brother and his wife beneath a mountain of mud and debris. The house was destroyed, taking all their belongings with it. Miraculously, Niroshani's brother managed to pull her out through a broken window, but the couple had nothing to salvage.
"I have to rebuild from scratch," Niroshani said, her voice laced with despair. "Sometimes that's even worse than living."
Cyclone Ditwah has left over 1.1 million people affected, with more than 360 missing and feared dead. The scale of the damage is still unclear, but it's clear that this disaster will have a lasting impact on Sri Lanka.
In Ratnapura, the city was among the worst hit areas. Small rescue boats traversed the floodwaters to help stranded residents, while many complained they had been given no warning to evacuate. Some families watched in horror as their homes were washed away by the rising river.
JA Nilanthi's family was among them. They had received no warning from officials and were left trapped on a roof for two days with floodwaters lapping at their doorstep. "I have never been this scared my whole life," she said.
As the death toll rises, Sri Lanka is facing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. The country is still recovering from economic collapse in 2022, which left it bankrupt and struggling to access basic necessities. Tourism, once a vital source of income, has taken a hit as well.
With further rain forecast for this week, the situation looks set to worsen. Sri Lanka's president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, described Cyclone Ditwah as "the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history." The country needs help now more than ever, but it remains to be seen if aid will arrive in time.
As Niroshani rebuilds her life from scratch, she can't help but wonder what the future holds for Sri Lanka. Will this disaster mark a turning point for the country, or will it continue to struggle? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the people of Sri Lanka will need all the support they can get in the days and weeks ahead.
The way I feel about what's happening in Sri Lanka right now is really tough to put into words 
. It's just heartbreaking to think about so many people losing their homes, loved ones, and livelihoods due to this cyclone 
. The fact that some families were left stranded on rooftops for days without any warning is just devastating 
. I can only imagine how Niroshani and her family are feeling right now 
. Rebuilding from scratch is never easy, but it's one thing to have support and hope, another thing entirely when resources are scarce 
. The country already facing economic struggles after the 2022 collapse, now this disaster has added another layer of complexity 
. All I can say is that the people of Sri Lanka need all the help they can get right now 
.
I feel so bad for Layani Rasika Niroshani and her family... a landslide and then Cyclone Ditwah just being too much to handle 
. 1.1 million people affected, that's like half the population or something! 
And it's not just homes that got destroyed, but also livelihoods... I mean, what if they can't go back to their jobs? 
It's like, they're already struggling with economic collapse and now this? 
We really need to get them some aid ASAP. Like, how are they supposed to recover from this? 
The thought of JA Nilanthi being trapped on a roof for two days without warning is just terrifying... 
Can we please help these people out before it's too late? 
i feel like layani rasika niroshani, trapped with her family in a landslide and losing everything she worked hard for 
the economic collapse and tourism decline are bad enough, but add this natural disaster on top of it all... it's too much 
is this really how we're supposed to rebuild? i want to see a way out of this, but it feels like sri lanka is stuck in a cycle of disaster 
. Anyway, I heard it takes like a year to rebuild after a disaster like that, so Niroshani's gonna be stuck at home for ages. I'm kinda worried about those people still missing too... do you think they'll ever turn up? 
They look super fancy!
I'm glad cyclones are bringing much needed rain to Sri Lanka's central region, but this year's devastation is just heartbreaking... Cyclone Ditwah was super intense and it's crazy that thousands of people lost their homes and hundreds are missing 
. Only time will tell if this disaster marks a turning point or just another setback