The woman killed during the violent storm in Jawalla, Region Seven on Friday, has been identified as a mother of two, who was seven months pregnant.
Marsha Jordan, 29, died after a house collapsed on her and her children as they were seeking shelter from the storm.
Stabroek News was told that Jordan and her two daughters, who are ages 11 and 3 years, were caught in the rain and had sought shelter under a house belonging to a teacher. Her two daughters were able to escape with minor injuries when it came crashing down on them.
When contacted, Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford said the regional administration is still awaiting additional details of what transpired.
He did note that apart from the house that collapsed on Jordan, the storm destroyed four other houses as well as the washroom facilities at both the nursery and primary school. Additionally, Jawalla’s village office, community centre and five other houses and two businesses were also damaged as a result of the storm.
Bradford also said that while a three-member team had gone into Jawalla to gather information, no one on the team was experienced enough to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the damage caused by the storm.
As a result, he noted that another team is expected to travel to the area either today or by Tuesday at latest to conduct a full assessment of the situation to provide both the regional administration and Civil Defence Commission with a comprehensive report on the situation and the assistance needed by the village.
Bradford added that the Regional Disaster Risk Management System has been activated and will continue to monitor the situation.
Although there had been concern on Friday evening about the effect of the storm on the neighbouring communities of Phillipai, Paruima, Wayaling, Kako, and Waramadong, Bradford said that apart from heavy rainfall, the villages did not suffer any infrastructural damage.
He did, however, mention that the Kamarang power system was down as a result of storm damage.
