After being affected by floodwaters, the township of Mahdia in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), found some relief as the water is slowly receding. On Saturday, while the area was still flooded, the water was not as high as it was on Friday.
As the water receded, officials from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) continued with their relief efforts.
The flooding was as a result of heavy rainfall accumulating up to a few feet of water by the mid-morning hours.
Head of the CDC, Kester Craig told Guyana Times on Saturday that supplies were distributed to the affected families. It was estimated that at least 25 homes were flooded and while they were planning to set up shelters for some persons, everyone was allowed to return to their homes.
This publication was informed that sections of the main roadway suffered damages, and officials of the Public Infrastructure Ministry were also deployed to the area, where an assessment is being conducted.
“The officers are there distributing relief supplies at the moment. No one is in shelters. We have persons from the CDC and Public Infrastructure. There is a road that is damaged so the Ministry of Public Infrastructure is doing their assessment,” Craig asserted.
During the rainy season, Mahdia is prone to flooding. This is even more undesirable given the fact that it was just established as a newly formed township.
A resident, Daniel Smith, explained that he woke up to water in his home and was quite surprised when he ventured outside to see the entire area under water.
“The water was really high in the house and we get some damages. But the water took some time and in the afternoon it start to go down. We are now cleaning up so we can spend the night in the house here. The rain is falling a bit but I hope it don’t rain hard,” he said.
While the area is prone to flooding during the rainy season, Friday’s flooding is the largest flash flood they have seen in years.
As the situation resumes to normalcy, officials have warned that heavy rainfall is expected within the next three days, urging residents in low-lying areas to brace themselves and take precautions.
Areas that are expected to have heavy amounts of precipitation include Mabaruma, Wauna White Water and Kumaka in Region One (Barima-Waini); Fort Island in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Grass Hook, Bush Lot, Abary, Abary Lass in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); Albion in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Imbaimadai and Mahdia in Region Eight; Kwatamang in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and Wismar, West Watooka, 58 Miles Mabura Road, Ituni and Great Falls in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
An aerial view of a section of the flooded area in Mahdia
