By Aviso Paul
With Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) being one of the most severely flood-affected areas in the country, residents there are now being relocated to safety.
Regional Chairman, Berti Xavier yesterday told Stabroek News that those who have been affected by the flood are currently being relocated to safer facilities within the region.
He informed that over the past three days, the floodwater in the region had been rising rapidly. However, yesterday the rate of increase dropped.
“Well yes, the people in Region Nine are suffering from severe flooding. From Saturday to Monday the water was quickly rising … but for today [Tuesday], the water ease a little …”
Xavier said that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is doing all it can to help those who are seriously affected by the flood. As such, some schools and a sports complex were reopened to accommodate the affected families.
“To help those families that are being affected, we reopened some schools that were shut down such as Tabatinga, Arapaima, once there are more persons, we will find other places as well, the Sports Complex currently is accommodating 27 families and there are also six families at a facility in Culvert City.”
Region Nine’s RDC Facebook page has an urgent post for volunteers who are needed to assist in areas such as, the filling of sand bags. It also requested the use of vehicles to transport households, as well as donations for drinking water, food hampers, and cleaning supplies.
Xavier also mentioned that meals are being prepared for those families who are staying at the various facilities.
Meanwhile, the residents of Sisters Village on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) are calling for assistance from the authorities.
This newspaper yesterday visited the village and although the water was receding, residents nevertheless voiced their concerns and issued pleas for help.
According to one resident, Henreeta Junielall, the entire bottom flat of her house was flooded due to the heavy rainfall within the past three days, and as a result, she is now suffering from water damage.
“Yesterday the whole bottom house de full with water, it come all in the house and wet up the things them… the house in a mess right now.”
Another resident, Jagranie Shairaw, said that due to the flooding, she was forced to relocate her differently-abled nephew who usually lives in the bottom flat, to the upper flat of the house, since her entire yard was flooded. She also lamented that her recently planted cassava died as a result of the flood.
“This entire yard been flood yesterday [Monday] from back to front, all me handicap nephew meh had to carry he upstairs and he already nah like deh upstairs. Meh lil cassava that meh plant, all dead out.”
Most of the residents also claimed that no one from the relevant authorities had ever visited them, neither were they beneficiaries of the $25,000 flood relief that was being distributed by the government over the past year.
“I’ve been living here for 20 years and I’ve never seen anyone come to visit this area and we get flood steady…due to the flood all my fruit plants died including the plantain suckers. Nobody comes and check up on this side of Region Three, it’s like nobody lives this side,” said senior citizen, Imelda Claxton.
On the other hand, Nandanie Basdeo, relayed that although the flooding did not affect her house directly, it severely hit much of her livestock of which 10 were lost. Also some of the plants in her kitchen garden were destroyed.
Since the first reports of heavy rainfall, installation of pumps and cleaning of waterways have been done within the last two days.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha in a statement, informed “…so far we’ve installed an 80-cusec [cubic feet per second] pump at Little Abary sluice to compliment that structure. We were also able to carry out emergency works on several drainage canals.”
He also explained that with Region Five recording the most rainfall (5 inches from Sunday to Monday), about 70 per cent of the water from Huntley to Abary has since receded due to consistent drainage and cleaning operations.
A press release from the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday encouraged persons to dispose of their garbage in the correct way.
It also reminded citizens that all areas are being monitored by the National Taskforce through the Civil Defence Commission and a number of other organisations.
Some of the other regions which are severely affected by the flooding are regions Two and 10. Many persons in those regions took to Facebook to highlight the severity of the flooding which they are currently experiencing.
