The Civil Defence Commission has issued a warning to persons residing in coastal communities, as high tides are expected throughout this week.
Commencing this weekend, the spring tides are expected to last until Thursday, February 13.
Overtopping at Mahaica last year as a result of high tides
In a notice issued, information gathered from the Hydrometeorological Service states that the magnitude of the waves will reach a height of 10.8 feet. As such, flood-prone areas in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Five (Mahaica-Berbice) are expected to face the impact.
Teams from the CDC will be dispatched throughout these communities as a standby mechanism should there be any severities. As such, in the event of any flooding, an assessment and relief can be provided immediately to residents.
On Sunday at 04:25h and 16:10h, the expected height of waves are 9.2 and 10.2 feet respectively. Meanwhile, on Monday morning at 05:06h, waves might reach a height of 10.2 feet and 10.8 feet in the afternoon at 16:57h.
On Tuesday at 05:45h, the estimated height is 10.3 feet in the morning and 10.7 feet in the afternoon at 17:44h. During Wednesday, at 06:27 the water will rise to 10.2 feet and 10.4 feet at 18:30h.
On the final day of the spring tide, waves are estimated to rise to 9.9 feet at 07:10h and 9.8 feet at 19:18h.
Persons residing in close proximity to the shoreline and riverine areas were asked to take precaution by reporting sea defence breaches, using sandbags where necessary and unplugging all electrical devices. “All important documents should be placed in a sealed bag and household furniture should be elevated. Most importantly, persons rearing livestock must move these animals to higher grounds and create safe storage for drinking water and food, to prevent contamination,” the notice stated.
It added that parents are to ensure that their children stay clear of flooded waters, and if there are any indications of an illness or skin irritation, immediate medical attention must be sought at a health centre.
During previous spring tides, coastal communities have been subjected to flooding, where millions of dollars were recorded in damages. In most cases, the inundation is caused by overtopping of the sea defence structure.
Just last September, several communities along the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) were previewed to extensive overtopping due to expected high tides. Affected communities included: Blankenburg, Den Amstel, Fellowship, Cornelia Ida, Anna Catherina, and Uitvlugt Oceanview.
This extended to several villages in Region Five where hundreds of livestock and crops were damaged. This continued in October, especially at Dantzig-Fairfield.
