No need for evacuation from Upper Demerara – CDC Head

There is no need to evacuate residents of the flooded Upper Demerara communities, according to Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Director General Colonel (retd.) Chabilall Ramsarup.

Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, the colonel noted that shelters were not required since most of the houses in the affected areas were built on stilts or affected persons had opted to stay with relatives.

He added that the CDC along with other government agencies were involved in the distribution of hampers to residents along the Demerara and Berbice rivers. Work was being done to ensure roads were cleared and the health of the people was seen to by the Public Works and Health ministries, Ramsarup said. The Ministry of Agriculture is also part of the efforts in the affected areas.

GINA on Friday reported that Works Minister Robeson Benn distributed over 300 food packages and bottled water to residents who were directly affected by flood owing to spring tide coupled with heavy rains.

It added that the residents benefiting included those from Three Friends, Malali, Muritaro and Rockstone and that the aid was meant only as “short term support.”

The hampers included rice, flour, oil and peas and was a collaborative effort by government through the CDC and Food for the Poor, GINA reported.

According to GINA, Kwakwani has not been excluded from the relief effort although residents have benefited from food supplies a few weeks ago. The food packages for Kwakwani were reportedly at the LINMINE Secretariat and were to be delivered yesterday.

With respect to health implications arising from the flood, Government has commenced distributing medical supplies including tablets to purify water, GINA said.

Region 10 Chairman Mortimer Mingo and the LINMINE Secretariat’s CEO Horace James were also among the officials doing the distribution.

Mingo is reported as saying that flooding is not new to the district but that the communities have never been affected to the current extent.