Long before dawn, people were already queueing for medical aid on Tuesday at an emergency camp in Sri Lanka's coastal town of Chilaw, hit hard by a deadly cyclone and floods.

Carpenter Prasantha Perera, 60, was waiting to have a shard of wood removed from his left foot, so that he can finally begin the arduous task of cleaning up.

The disaster caused by Cyclone Ditwah -- the island's worst this century -- has affected more than two million people, or nearly 10 percent of the population.

At least 638 people were killed.

Perera was the first patient of the day to leave the disaster medical camp, run by Japanese aid workers to support Chilaw's flood-hit state hospital.

"I couldn't get into the camp yesterday, so I turned up today at 4:00 am to be first in line," he said, bowing to thank

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