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When Cyclone Ditwah brought heavy rains and flooding to Puttalam district, Nethusha was living with his grandmother Lalitha, while his mother worked overseas, sending home every hard-earned rupee to support her family.As the waters rose, Lalitha took Nethusha to higher ground, hoping that their home would still be standing when they returned. Days later, they discovered that the water had taken everything.“When we came back, we saw that the house had been destroyed,” Lalitha recalled.In the days that followed, Nethusha grew quiet and withdrawn. He spoke less, spending long moments staring at the remains of what had once been his home. The sudden loss of his house, his routines and his sense of safety, weighed heavily on him. “When the water came, I felt so sad and scared without my mother.” he wrote in his notebook.When Lalitha later read his words, she realized how deeply the shock had affected him.   “When I read what Nethusha had written, I realized how much pain he was carrying,” she said. “Especially because his mother is not here during such a difficult time.”For Nethusha, the flood did not just wash away walls and belongings. It took away his sense of safety, and with it, his mother’s dream of a home built through sacrifice and love. Puttalam: among the hardest-hit districtsPuttalam district, where Lalitha and Nethusha live, is among the areas most severely affected by Cyclone Ditwah. More than half of the district’s population has been impacted, with floodwaters damaging homes, schools, roads and livelihoods. Recently planted paddy fields were destroyed, putting immediate pressure on food security for farming families.   Many households are still displaced. Homes have been swept away or left structurally unsafe, forcing families to remain in temporary shelters and tents while waiting for support to rebuild.“The walls of the house are cracked, and it is very risky to stay here,” Lalitha explained. “For now, a temporary tent is all we have.”   In the immediate aftermath, communities showed remarkable solidarity—sharing food, clothing and water. However, the needs remain urgent, particularly for safe shelter, education and psychosocial support.“There are very generous and supportive people in our country,” Lalitha said. “But we still don’t have a place to live.” Helping children cope after loss and disruptionChildren have been among those hardest hit by the cyclone, facing sudden displacement, interrupted schooling and emotional distress.   Through UNICEF, the United Nations in Sri Lanka is supporting children and families in Puttalam and other affected districts with learning kits, psychosocial support and temporary learning spaces. These interventions help children regain routines, process their experiences and return to learning, even as recovery continues.For Nethusha, this critical support offers stability at a time when so much remains uncertain.   A coordinated UN response on the groundThrough a coordinated response, UN agencies are supporting families with food assistance, temporary shelter and essential household items, health services and protection support, including dignity kits and psychosocial care. Support for livelihoods, early recovery and employment is also underway.   All assistance is guided by rapid needs assessments and delivered in close coordination with national and district authorities, ensuring support reaches those most in need.   Responding to urgent needsTo meet the scale of needs following Cyclone Ditwah, the United Nations and humanitarian partners launched a Humanitarian Priorities Plan, calling for US$35.3 million to support the most vulnerable people affected by the cyclone.The plan focuses on immediate, life-saving assistance, including shelter, food, health, education and protection, while supporting early recovery for families like Nethusha’s, who are still living with the consequences of the floods.As communities begin to recover, continued support is essential to ensure children can return to school, families can rebuild safely, and no one is left behind.