Over 100 days after Cyclone Ditwah made landfall, there continue to be over 153,000 people sheltering across 32 government housing centres. Many of these centres lack adequate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, and families which wish to return home are unable to do so because their homes lie in high-risk red zones, were re-building is not permitted.
Since November 2025, the Church of Ceylon has provided invaluable support to surrounding communities, including:
- Cash grants to 350 households in Katugasthota, Batticaloa, Mannar, Polanaruwa, Anuradhapura, Kalmuni, Colombo, and Gampaha, and has approved an increase grant amount of Rs. 11,000 per household to adapt to evolving needs
- Community-level clean up in Middle Ragala area to allow the community to resume home gardening livelihoods.
- A team of child-care experts have created multiple art-therapy curricula for children impacted by disaster trauma from ages 3-16
Church assistance remains imperative, as many affected households still have not received any financial assistance from the government to begin building their homes.
The church plans to continue all of these activities to reach the most marginalised communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, particularly those who rely on informal or unrecognised housing. Ongoing efforts will focus on additional multipurpose cash grants, clean-up assistance (primarily mud cleaning to improve government access to remote areas), livelihood recovery for small-business entrepreneurs, shelter recovery including toilets, houses, and evacuation centers, and psychosocial support for church staff and volunteers.