Damage, loss assessment of May/June floods being conducted

The Government of Guyana, in collaboration with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), is seeking technical support to evaluate the risks from hazards and disasters in Guyana, while formulating and implementing plans to manage those risks.
As such, five members of a Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA) team arrived in Guyana over a week ago to closely observe and report on the economic impact of the May-June nationwide flood.
On August 12, the sectors of focus and methodology of the assessment were presented to various Government Ministers. The methodology aims to capture the macroeconomic assessment of damage, losses and additional costs which resulted from the flood. These are said to be particularly focused on the agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, industry and commerce, education, and infrastructure sectors.
The team, organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), was engaged in earlier discussions with the Government of Guyana to communicate goals and expectations, and to finalise plans for the mission.
The group is led by DaLA Coordinator Omar Bello, and consists of Mining Analyst Francisco Ibarra; Economy and Finance Analyst Michael Hendrickson; Statistician Francis Jones, Population Affairs and Public Policy Expert; and Carlos Espiga, an Infrastructure Analyst.
Additionally, the DaLA entourage was accompanied and guided by CDC personnel, representatives of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Public Works Ministry, and Regional Authorities.
Over a five-day period, assessments were done in some of the flood affected regions across Guyana, such as Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), where the team assessed farms along the Abary River and the sea defence at Dantzig/Fairfield, along Guyana’s coastland; Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) farmlands and communities in the town of Lethem and the village of Sand Creek were observed; Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni)- where the team examined mining operations along the Issano to Olive Creek communities, as well as communities in the lower and middle sections of the Mazaruni River.

(r-l): Members of the DaLA Team. Francisco Ibarra, Michael Hendrickson, Omar Bello, Francis Jones, and Carlos Espiga, along with CDC’s Mitigation and Recovery Manager Ms. Allana Walters and Mr. Julian Cadogan of Caliper Drones

In Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice), Kwakwani, Aroaima, Hururu, Ladernsville and Lamp Island areas were visited, as well as a shelter managed by the CDC. And in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), specifically Black Bush Polder and Port Mourant, they assessed farmlands and commercial communities.
Director General of the Civil Defence Commission, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, was updated on the progress made with the assessment.
Previously, a Detailed Damage Sectoral Assessment (DDSA) was conducted months prior by a team discharged by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) during the final stages of the May-June 2021 national flood.
The DDSA, which is also part of the DANA continuum, is an assessment that is distinctive from the DaLA, as it is usually done during the response and early recovery stages of the hazard impact, with specific geographical and sectoral focus.
The DDSA reports are currently being reviewed by the CDC and other relevant technical agencies, and can be referenced as baseline data for the DaLA.