300 residents affected

…calls made for better sea defence, improved drainage

Having lived through the terrifying experience of witnessing monster waves of the agitated Atlantic Ocean demolish a part of the sea defence structure and rush invasively into sections of West Coast Demerara/East Bank Essequibo, flattening fences, confiscating bridges, ransacking homes, and destroying cash crop and poultry enterprises as flood waters besiege hapless communities, residents of affected villages have called for the placement of boulders, improved sea defences, and proper drainage to reduce the impact of tidal flooding.
This call was made by the residents on Saturday, when Government officials and Civil Defence Commission personnel visited the affected communities. The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has disclosed that some 300 homes have been affected by the recent tidal phenomenon.

Guyana Times saw affected residents cleaning up their homes and premises of the debris deposited therein by the flood, which included mud, water and other articles captured by the ferocious waves, which some estimated were as high as 15 feet.
Residents of Ocean View, Uitvlugt, Leonora and Stewartville were on Saturday bracing themselves for another episode of the Atlantic Ocean overtopping the sea defence structure and invading their communities. Already, several families have been displaced and extensive damage has been caused to goods and household items.

Mother of two, Sharda Lall, explained that her husband was preparing to go to work when they heard the crashing sounds of the waves as the ocean invaded the coast. He raised an alarm, but they were no match for the determined Atlantic, as its gushing tides flowed into their Uitvlugt home.
She noted that she has lived in the area for some 18 years, but had never seen such high waves. Lall indicated that her spouse has been home since Friday, and has not been able to work.
“This is the first time we get flood in the house. The waves were very, very big, so all we asking the Government to do is if (they) could put some boulders to break the waves. I am not scared because I living here for 18 years, but with this which happened, I feel scared,” Lall told Guyana Times.

Uitvlugt shop owner Mahadeo Ramlall has suffered losses in excess of $500,000, but he is thankful for the support of his neighbours, who assisted him in cleaning up after the deluge. However, much water was still evident in his business place. His losses include bags of salt, flour, rice and sugar; plus numerous bars of soap and hundreds of canned goods and other items.
Seventy-five-year-old Mangal (only name), a pensioner who has been living in the area since the late 1940s, has called on the Central Government and his local Neighbourhood Democratic Council to do more to improve drainage networks in the area.
“We had flood in 2005, but it never flood like this! It affected the entire Ocean View, and we are all very disturbed about it, because we felt that enough is not being done by the NDC and Central Government to help the people in this area. As a matter of fact, we felt left out,” the pensioner stressed.

Disappointment
Meanwhile, People’s Progressive Party Member of Parliament for Region Three, Irfaan Ali, and the Tuschen/Uitvlugt NDC announced that sub-groups have been formed and will visit communities in the region and liaise with the Public Infrastructure Ministry.
However, the NDC and MP have expressed disappointment with acting Prime Minister Carl Greenidge and with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) for meeting residents without the NDC and Councillors of the Local Government arm being present.
“We feel disrespected after all our efforts to work in a collaborative manner with the stakeholders. (Nevertheless,) the local response committee will continue to work in the interest of residents,” the NDC noted.
The Civil Defence Committee has said it is working to organise support for relief efforts within the NDC, having conducted an “on the ground assessment of damages” as a result of the flooding.
“A report is completed and ready to be presented to Government for action. Throughout this exercise, the Geographic MP and NDC cooperated with Government officials and CDC in the interest of residents and the community,” it added.

Cleaning agents
The CDC, along with acting Prime Minister Greenidge, has distributed to the affected Region Three residents hampers which include water, mops, bleach and other cleaning agents. Given that many homes were abandoned, Minister Greenidge has cautioned against erecting structures that block drainage networks or are near sea defences, even as calls are being made to move the capital city and other densely populated areas away from the coast.
Meantime, over 50 displaced residents were scheduled to be relocated to the Uitvlugt Community Ground on Saturday evening.
The high tides are expected to last until Monday, and precautionary measures are still being encouraged, such as moving all animals and poultry to higher ground; elevating furniture, appliances and electronic equipment; unplugging all appliances and electrical equipment in lower flats; and using sandbags around doors to buildings. (Shemuel Fanfair)