Sri Lanka, Dec. 18 -- The Cyclonic Storm Ditwah has left a profound imprint on Sri Lanka's physical landscape and national psyche. The upcountry and central highland regions, long regarded as among the safest for settlement, agriculture, tourism, and long-term property investment, have endured some of the most severe devastation in recent memory. Collapsed homes, ruined plantations, severed roads, and entire communities displaced or still unaccounted for have become grim realities.

While the immediate humanitarian response must remain the country's foremost priority, Sri Lanka must also confront Cyclone Ditwah's deeper and longer-term consequences. The cyclone is not merely an environmental disaster; it is a defining moment that will res...