Focus now to bring relief to affected citizens – PM

Floods 2021

…ExxonMobil, RBL, GGMC donate $14.5M to CDC

Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips has said that Government’s focus right now is on bringing relief to flood-affected communities across the country, including conducting emergency works to drain the floodwater from the land.
He made this remark on Wednesday during a visit to the National Gymnasium, where the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has set up operations to prepare relief hampers which include food items and sanitisation supplies for distribution to persons and communities that are being impacted by the inclement weather.
“So, the focus right now…is on bringing relief to all these communities – food stuff, sanitation hampers, setting up of shelters, and any quick emergency work we can do to get the water off the land in the fastest possible time,” he stated.
According to the PM, Government would continue to monitor the situation across the country as the heavy rainfall persists, resulting in floodwaters raising in some areas.

“Over the next 96 hours, we will continue to monitor the rainfall throughout Guyana, and we’ll continue to visit communities throughout Guyana to see the effects of the flooding, whether the water is receding, and what additional support we can give to those communities,” Phillips posited.
Already, more than 15,000 relief hampers have been distributed to flood-affected communities across the country, and thousands more are slated to be given out.
During his visit to the relief centre, the PM noted that some 2500 hampers have already been packed, 1000 were in the process of being packed, and another 1500 were being loaded for distribution.
“We have hampers now that are being loaded now for distribution to Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), and [today] we are focusing on Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni),” the Prime Minister has said.
In fact, some 1,186 food hampers and 1,186 cleaning supplies for flood-affected residents arrived in Region Five on Wednesday afternoon. Additionally, 65 cases of bottled water were dispatched to Mahaicony Creek, while 35 cases were dispatched to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).
Of the hampers already distributed, approximately 3000 have been sent to Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), where the logging community of Kwakwani is among the worst hit, with the flood water reaching the second floor of some houses and almost completely covering flat houses. Shelters have also been established for residents at Kwakwani and in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Essequibo) as well.
“Each one of these hampers can feed a family of five for two weeks, and while we would’ve given out hampers initially to all the communities, we’re also preparing additional hampers because some communities may need a further supply of hampers as we proceed through this operation,” the Prime Minister has posited.

Multi-sectoral &
inter-agency approach
Nevertheless, he expressed satisfaction with the CDC’s “well-oiled” operation at the Gymnasium, noting that the relief supplies are being dispatched in a timely manner.
The CDC has been working with several Ministries and their sub-agencies, including the Agriculture Ministry’s National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), as well as the various Regional and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (RDCs and NDCs) and Municipalities to ascertain the needs of communities and provide relief supplies. In fact, when the relief supplies are sent to the various regions, they are handed over to the RDCs in most cases for distribution.
Moreover, Government Ministers, including the Prime Minister himself, have been fanning out across Guyana to assess the situation and assist communities that are flooded. Even President Irfaan Ali has been on the ground last weekend, visiting several severely impacted regions.
PM Phillips has lauded all the stakeholders, including the Private Sector, for the inter-agency and multi-sectoral approach that has been taken to bring relief to the flood-affected persons and communities across Guyana.
“This is a very good example of all the agencies of the Government working together and with the support of the Private Sector of Guyana… In the shortest possible time, we’ve been able to send relief supplies to all the affected communities in Guyana, working both with Government officials and the Private Sector,” he stated, while also expressing gratitude to the many volunteers who are assisting the CDC in preparing the hampers for distribution.
The CDC has received donations from a number of entities, including civil society and the Private Sector. This support continues, as two leading private companies and a state entity made financial donations to the Commission on Wednesday.
The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has handed over a cheque worth $3 million to support the Commission’s flood relief efforts. Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, presented the cheque to Deputy Director-General of the CDC, Major Loring Benons, at the Ministry’s office.
Additionally, a $1.5 million cheque was received from Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited. CDC Director General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, has expressed gratitude for the donation, which he said would go a long way in bringing relief to those affected.
Republic Bank’s Managing Director Stephen Grell, who handed over the cheque to the CDC Head, has stated that the Bank is touched by the catastrophic effects of flooding in some areas across Guyana, and feels compelled to make a difference.
Meanwhile, United States oil giant ExxonMobil Guyana has contributed a whopping $10 million to aid the ongoing flood relief efforts across Guyana.
President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, handed over the cheque to Director General Craig on Wednesday.
“The magnitude of this flood and how it continues to affect so many people across Guyana is truly sad to see. We recognise that there are so many needs at this time, and we are pleased to support the efforts of the Civil Defence Commission in bringing much-needed relief to those affected,” Routledge stated.
ExxonMobil Guyana has supported training for the CDC’s Voluntary Emergency Response Team (VERT), which the CDC Head indicated is instrumental to the agency’s response efforts. He also pointed to other areas of support over the years, such as the CDC’s oil spill response capabilities, and labelled the company a true partner. (G8)