During a series of on the ground engagements on Saturday, President Irfaan Ali sought to reassure flood-affect residents in several communities that government is working with all stakeholders, including the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), to ensure that their needs are provided for.
Towards this end, Ali yesterday said shelters would be set up at various government buildings to ensure that flood-affected residents have places to stay safe and secure until the floodwaters recede, the Office of the President (OP) said in a statement.
Ali, in the company of Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Service Sonia Parag, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Brigadier Godfrey Bess, CDC Head Kester Craig and other officials, visited Lamp Island, Kwakwani, Bamboo Landing, Hururu Mission and Ladern’s Ville in Region 10.
After the Region 10 visit, OP said Ali journeyed via helicopter to Region Six, where he stopped in Port Mourant and interacted with residents before travelling via road to Lesbeholden in Black Bush Polder to assess the impact of the floodwaters there.
“This response today is basically to touch base with communities to ensure that we have an understanding as to what is happening. To ensure that people have access to food, to ensure that they have access to shelter and medical services and supplies. Those are the key primary things that we have to address,” he was quoted as saying. “We are here to listen to the leaders, to hear from your perspective about what you see as the priority.”
OP said Ali reassured residents that additional supplies, including food hampers, cleaning products, health supplies and shelter, would be provided.
The President highlighted that the CDC along with the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders are working in tandem to do holistic assessments. He said that as soon as the water recedes, another assessment will be done to see what medium to long term help can be given as it relates to farming.
Meanwhile, OP reported Craig as saying that over 700 households are directly impacted in Kwakwani and the surrounding communities.
As a result, President Ali has directed that a number of interventions, including the establishment of shelters, are to be taken as well as the provision of additional food, water and a rapid health response team to prevent any outbreaks.
Craig said that the CDC would dispatch supplies on Saturday night and a team today to assist with the coordination on the ground.
He noted that a total of 1800 hampers were sent to Black Bush Polder, 2000 food hampers and 2000 cleaning hampers were distributed to Region Nine, while another 1000 food hampers are being prepared to be sent to Kwakwani.
“A number of hampers were sent today to Region Three and we are securing hampers to send to Region Two. And I just got a request for additional hampers for Region Six. We have also sent a total of over 400 hampers to Region Five.”
According to the Director-General, the CDC will continue to provide relief to affected residents.
‘More rain’
As the May-June rains continue and rainfall exceeds drainage capacity, these communities and many others around the country are likely to continue to face flooding.
For today alone the Hydro-meteorological Office is predicting three to five inches of rainfall. There is to be “continuous moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms.”
In Region Four, where most communities remain largely unaffected, the East Demerara Water Conservancy-Northern Relief Channel (Hope Canal) has since May 22 been operating for 24 hours in an attempting to prevent overtopping of the Conservancy and flooding of the East Coast Corridor.
Operator Abdul Samad told Sunday Stabroek that he doesn’t want to imagine what would have happened if the structure was not in place.
For places such as Region Five, no imagination is necessary. With no end of flooding in sight, local government authorities there are also focusing efforts on relief measures.
In Region Five, Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal spearheaded the distribution of livestock feed to farmers of Mahaicony Creek, while Regional Vice Chairman Rion Peters and Vice Chairman of the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA) Mohamed Zaid Raffeeoodeen distributed hampers to residents who are affected by flooding in the Abary Creek.
Speaking with Sunday Stabroek, Ramphal explained that the hampers included cleaning and food supplies.
“A medical team will be going in tomorrow to meet with all residents,” he said, before adding that the substantial amount of water on land has severely affected economic activity. Cash crops have been destroyed and livestock have drowned.
According to Ramphal, technical experts from the National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute (NAREI), the Guyana Livestock Development Association (GLDA) and National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) have all visited and conducted assessments.
The Chairman explained that along with the distribution of hampers efforts are being made to shore up drainage.
“Four excavators were deployed to the Mahaicony creek area and are assisting with the heightening of the sea dam. They are also assisting farmers in empoldering their farms,” he shared.
Meanwhile, the Amerindian village of St Cuthbert’s Mission remains inundated. According to Toshao Timothy Andrews, there has already been millions of dollars in losses and the water is still rising.
Stabroek News had previously reported that residents of the village, situated off the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, were stranded after sections of the trail leading to their village were washed away following heavy rainfall in the area.
Alleging that the area was vulnerable due to faulty work, Andrews related that the area first broke away two weeks ago and it was decided by the contractor that a culvert would be installed to allow the water to be drained. It is that recently installed culvert which washed away.
Yesterday, the community was visited by Minister Juan Edghill who gave the contractor a deadline of June 8 to complete the project.
