The Government yesterday an-nounced that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has been mandated to prepare shelters for residents in flood-affected areas particularly those from the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary Creeks.
The step was taken since those districts are expected to be flooded for an extended period.
This yard at Greenfield, East Coast Demerara has been flooded for almost a month. (Jules Gibson photo)
Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon made the announcement at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday. “There is no doubt that in some communities, particularly the creeks, the likelihood of flooding over an extended period is great and the school children, elderly they will benefit very well from being accommodated from the state expense under less hazardous conditions,” Dr. Luncheon was quoted by the Government Information Agency (GINA) as stating.
Preparations for shelter management are being wrapped up and stockpiling of necessary materials is also taking place, GINA said in a press release.
The move is the first significant action by the CDC following heavy rains in December that flooded several areas on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) particularly the community of Dochfour. After weeks of being inundated, the water in the community was finally pumped out this week. The water levels went up back yesterday after persistent rain. (See other story on centre pages.)
Late last month, the Maduni and Lama sluices were opened resulting in the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary Creek areas being flooded by high levels of water. High water continues to rise in those areas. The sluices were opened due to the high levels in the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) and to avoid a “major catastrophe”, the management of the EDWC had announced. Farmers have been badly affected and have lost their crops and many homes have been flooded.
Roger Luncheon
Dr. Luncheon said yesterday that Cabinet at its last meeting concentrated on the work of the CDC and the Government agencies in their ongoing task of monitoring and assessing the floods. Asked about financing for the CDC to continue its work, he said that whatever the CDC needs to implement a Government disaster-relief mechanism will be met. He explained that at the time when a design is crafted for disaster, it is usually one that Government can fund. With respect to shelter management, Dr. Luncheon said that no new structures will be built, instead existing structures that were used for the 2005 flood will be utilized.
Meantime, the Cabinet Secretary noted that work would be expanded to improve interventions in food distribution in addition to the ongoing humanitarian responses that include public health and sanitation. GINA reported that the government has been making necessary interventions to bring relief to communities which are inundated. The CDC, other government and regional officials and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have been collaborating to render services to residents of affected communities, it said.
Outside of the humanitarian response, the Cabinet Secretary stated that Government will continue its technical work pointing out, that the projections are not favourable in that more extreme weather could continue until late April and noted that much of the interventions are being made in that context. Emphasis will be on continuing improvement in gravity drainage, the removal of all the obstacles that impair gravity drainage, man-made and otherwise, desilting outfalls and canals, garbage, and even to the sudden and inexplicable malfunction of drainage structures, he was reported as saying.
Dr. Luncheon asserted that focus will also be on improving mechanical drainage as this method is effective in draining water in the low-lying areas and noted that more will be done at the EDWC in the short and medium-term to render it less of a threat to the East Coast communities.
In late December, after weeks of flooding in some communities on the ECD, the CDC had been criticized for its response to the flooding by citizens group, Guyana Citizens Initiative.
In early December, head of the Commission Major General (ret) Michael Atherly had told this newspaper that the agency was ready and in an “alert phase”. He had declared that the CDC is always prepared to support the government and communities, particularly the vulnerable ones. He had noted that the commission had deployed to flooded East Coast Demerara communities and distributed water.
The CDC Head had emphasized that the agency was on standby and ready to move at a moment’s notice. Atherly had pointed out that the CDC was the coordinating agency between state agencies and other disaster response organizations like the Red Cross. He noted that the joint services provide manpower and equipment. “We do the coordinating work,” he had stressed. In this vein, he said that the agency has some basic first aid supplies. He had said at the time that to respond effectively, the CDC needs to intensify cooperation and coordination with the relevant state agencies.
A Very good move, I think that it took too long to help the
helpless, everyone that need help must be assisted, NOT
SUPPORTERS ONLY, it happned in 2005.
this current situation is part and parcel to a reactive attitude we guyanese have. It’s time we have a proactive approach to life in general…
“Captain, Captain Put Me A Shore… Etaname Ah Frighten Me, Etaname Ah Hurt Me (Food) Belly, Etaname Gon Drowning Me” At last, At Last the goodly doctor speaks as the “wata” appears to be coming in much faster than the “canoe” can be bailed out. There is an old saying that: “A Stitch In Time Saves Nine”!
And, the question is: Shouldn’t all the preparation by the “CDC” have been ready long before now given the experience of the Great Floods of 2005; or, was the Guyana government playing a “wait and see game” with the livelihoods of those poor Guyanese people! Well, it looks like all the Christmas and Old Year’s Eve partying are over and its time to face realities – eh!
I said they were playing this game over and over before. Wait for the ostriches who will be out in full numbers to sing praises as the march to 2011 continues!!! They will be talking about how lucky these people are to be getting this ‘too late’ help and how grateful they MUST be. Afterall, the ostriches must adorn the anointed one!! Another thing, the CDC was only mentioned as lip service, they are ‘helpless’ and so are the RDCs without the anointed one passing crumbs to them!!!
The “MAJOR” catastrophe mentioned by the management of the EDWC should not have even been a thought if they were effectively managing! Effective planning would have prevented this “MINOR” (what a sick joke!!!) catastrophe!!
I agree they are spending billion of dollars, yet nothing is done. I if all the money is being used to getthings done.
Is de same story all over again.CDC should be run by professionals and not by politiicians.I am going to say it again,the Gov loves it when they have to show up like big brother to save the day.Then come election time they take credit by saying, awee do all da fo u , its time to put awee back in affice again. On time to play games when life is at stake.
Too long to make a decision anyhow,better late than never, hope equal respect/benefit for one and all.
… to “understand” is to grasp the “significance” of,, the way i see it ,, the quagmire has been of sugnificance ever since ,, captain put me shore,, an ize den when de flood became significant,,, and bcos ,, i understand the suffering ,, i can “understand” what BACON meant when he said,,,,
“The eye of the understanding is like the eye of the sense ; for as you may see great objects through small crannies or holes,, so you may see great axioms of “nature” through small and contemptible instances “….
Locke also had “reason” to ponder “understanding”,, and in doing so ,,, this is what he said
” the improvement of the understanding is for two ends; first,, our own increase of knowledge; secondly,, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others ” !!!!!
It took them this long to provide temporary shelter. I wonder when we will hear pronouncements on permanent relocation options?
Seems like the help came a little to late the damages already has been done, i hope the help is distributed evenly to all the affected areas in guyana, and not only to the supporters of the party, because all i see on the news is an area of one particulary ethnicity, and i know other groups are not highlighted.
Look at these inept square pegs, they have no clue. Millions spent to keep the water at bay, yet every single time it rains the land is flooded out. They could not even manage a lemon aid stand by the side of the road. Holding on to power at all costs to the detriment of people and country. Typical PPP visionless style!
Naseer,
Couldn’t agree with you more.
For the former head of the Joint Services, now head of CDC, to say that all his agency is responsible for is “coordinating work”, is sad. By his statement one would be lead to believe that if the action plan to deal with flooding is flawed then he and his agency would still coordinate “crap”……
The is flooding here in Canada too.Some areas people have to leave their house because it is flooded and they have to boil their water.
Well here we have it from de venerable mouth of de guvament!!! Dis happenin over an over since ’bout 2004 an all dey can do at dis stage of disaster is ‘mandate to prepare flood shelters”, ‘assess the situations’, ‘keep an eye on things’, ‘improve interventions’, ‘be on standby’ – All dis is jus WORDS put together to further ‘fool’ de population in a vote-gettin scheme! Dem excuses so lame it en funny no mo’. De rain fall an ‘if’ de sluices an other infrastructures – includin de pumps- were maintained like we needed dem dis floodin couldda bin unda control lang time! Add to dat de conservancy dat dem same guvament people ‘contractor’ reduce de capacity when dem de ‘doin something to it’ suh is mo wata comin from deh into de MMA area which project apparently still ent finish!
Dem caan stop de rain but at lese dey expected to pump out at lese most o de wata!! I gon soon need a boat to navigate South Georgetown!