On a day like today, 20 years ago, many residences and businesses along Guyana’s eastern coast were inundated, having been affected by massive flooding in the country’s biggest natural disaster to date. In its wake was loss of homes and income, and death by drowning and water-borne diseases.
The economic fallout was estimated at about US$465 million or some 60 percent of the country’s GDP.
The flood resulted from the overtopping of the weakened East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) embankments caused by record breaking rainfall that started on December 24, 2004 and continued into the first week of February 2005.
