The death toll from Cyclone Ditwah, which caused catastrophic floods and landslides across Sri Lanka, has risen to 334 confirmed deaths, making it the worst natural disaster to hit the island nation in two decades, surpassing the impact of the 2004 Asian tsunami in terms of immediate damage and casualties. The Disaster Management Center (DMC) reports that around 400 people are missing, and more than 1.3 million people across the island have been badly affected by the record-breaking rainfall. The full extent of the disaster is only now being revealed as relief workers manage to clear roads blocked by fallen trees and mudslides, particularly in the worst-hit central region, including areas such as Kandy and Badulla. Critical infrastructure was devastated: Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, forcing nearly 200,000 people into government-run temporary shelters. Widespread power and water supply outages have affected large parts of the country, affecting up to 25% of electricity customers. Although the rain has subsided in many areas, low-lying parts of the capital, Colombo, remain heavily flooded. Authorities warned that flood levels along the Kelani River could take at least a day to recede. President Dissanayake declares a state of emergency In response to the unprecedented scale of the disaster, Sri Lanka’s president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, declared a state of emergency to speed up rescue and relief efforts, and pledged to rebuild with international support. “We are facing the greatest and most challenging natural disaster in our history,” he said in a speech to the nation. “Certainly, we will build a better nation than existed before.” The island nation’s appeal for assistance was met with a swift and coordinated international response. Helicopter crash A Bell 212 helicopter carrying essential supplies for a stranded hospital crashed into a river north of Colombo; luckily all five crew members survived. India was the first responder and launched a major humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) effort. This operation included personnel, equipment and logistics. A helicopter dispatched from India on Sunday rescued 24 people, including a pregnant woman and a man in a wheelchair, who were trapped in the central town of Kotmale, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) northeast of Colombo. Pakistan sent rescue teams, while Japan promised help and sent a team to assess Sri Lanka’s immediate needs. The affected areas are facing a massive relief effort, focused on restoring critical services and locating the missing, even as the weakened cyclone Ditwah continues its movement north towards the coastlines of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in India, where it is also causing heavy rainfall and warnings.