Reg 10 residents remain resilient as floodwaters continue to rise

As the heavy downpour continues across Guyana, several villages in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) continue to be severely affected.
This was confirmed by Public Information Officer (PRO) at the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Patrice Wishart, on Tuesday during a telephone interview.
The flooded areas include Kwakwani, Sabaru, Old England, Siberian and Maria Elizabeth.
“Water levels are rising in Kwakwani and Sabaru, where homes and farmlands are inundated. Buildings in Old England and Siberian are also impacted by the floods. Water levels in Maria Elizabeth have receded,” Wishart explained.
He related that it continues to rain intermittently in the region, however, no shelter has since been put in place but will be if the need arises.
He stated that among those seriously affected are livestock farmers.
“Persons have reported that crops and livestock have been seriously affected, one farmer reported a loss of at least 100 chickens,” he stated.
“The CDC is working with the regional authorities to monitor and assess the situation. Once the assessments are complete, relief supplies will be dispatched to those in need,” Wishart added.

Meanwhile, residents of Kwakwani, primarily those at Lamp Island and some sections of the Waterfront, continue to navigate inundated roadways, playgrounds and, yard spaces caused by the unprecedented torrential downpours.
Guyana Times was informed that as a result of continuous rainfall over the past weekend, floodwaters rose some two inches subsequent to the receding of a fair amount of floodwaters after experiencing better weather conditions for a short period.

While no shelters are prepared for evacuees at this time, 98 per cent of residents located at the inundated Lamp Island, are showing some level of resilience as the floodwaters continue to slowly rise. “We will just watch it for now,” several residents told Guyana Times when contacted.
Several parents hinted that their children contracted the flu, coupled with vomiting and diarrhoea.
Kwakwani has been facing severe flooding since early in May.

Back in 2021, around this same period, Kwakwani was one of the worst-hit areas during the country-wide flooding, which affected thousands of Guyanese and destroyed millions in crops, cattle, and farmlands.
Floodwaters at one point even reached 12 ft in the area, which forced a number of residents to evacuate, while some took to shelters that were put in place.
Hundreds of hampers were distributed to residents during this period by the CDC and regional authorities, however, flooding continued throughout June back then and continued even in July.