…as floodwaters begin to recede
…“more rainfall will raise water again” – CDC
Residents of Central Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), affected for quite some time by flooding, are breathing a sigh of relief as flood waters begin to recede.
Authorities, however, are still monitoring the situation, since the water level can rise again with another heavy downpour.
Director of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, gave Guyana Times this explanation on Sunday: “…the water can recede today; and tomorrow, if there’s more rainfall, it could come up back again.”
Meanwhile, Regional Chairman Brian Allicock told this newspaper on Sunday that the water is “going down rapidly”, and the roadways are now visible for vehicle usage.
“We getting access to the villages now by roadways. We could drive…but there is still about 17 inches of water still on the road, but the vehicles are going through… We can get to St. Ignatius by roadway now, we don’t have to use boats anymore,” the Chairman stated.
However, he pointed out that while the water is receding, those almost 60 residents who had to be evacuated from their homes are still not allowed to return, as the situation is still being monitored to ensure that the water will not rise again. He said intense clean-up exercises will have to be undertaken at the flooded houses, and he anticipates that evacuated residents would remain out of their homes for another week and a half.
“When the water fully recedes, you (residents will) have to clean the buildings, disinfect it and all that, to ensure that it’s safe before they can go back [home]. So we have to keep them here at the shelters and provide for them,” the Regional Chairman posited.
He said already there are some cleaning supplies on the ground, and more is expected during this week.
Deep South still cut off
Several parts of the Deep South Rupununi, such as Karasabai, continue to be cut
Flood waters receding in Region 9
off from Central Lethem. According to Chairman Allicock, a group of toshaos travelled into the area via boat, using a different route. He noted that they have not gotten any information from those areas as to whether the residents there are in need of relief items.
Reports reaching this publication state that the Deep South Rupununi’s main access road en-route to Aishalton has been partly washed away. However, vehicles are presently traversing the back road through Karaudanawa to get to Aishalton, so they can access those communities.
The floods in the Deep South have not only affected residents’ homes, but have destroyed their farms as well. The Regional Chairman noted that there are reports of about 20 farms being under about three to five feet of water.
Toshaos have since been tasked with the responsibility of assessing and reporting to the RDC the number of farmlands that have been affected in their respective communities. Allicock noted that a high-level team, including agri-personnel are expected to visit the area soon.
The flooding has resulted from several rivers, particularly the Takutu River, overtopping because of heavy rainfall in the region and over in neighbouring Brazil, which has resulted in overtopping of the Rio Brancho River.
At present, 59 persons have been evacuated and placed in three shelters which were established, and they are being tended by the region with support from the CDC.
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has also been providing support through a boat shuttle service for residents from 06:00h to 18:00h every day.
On Friday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, led a team to the region to assess the situation. During that exercise, he said the current weather patterns in the region and in Brazil will see the water rising and receding at frequent intervals; but with a coordinated approach, some semblance of order can exist.
Meanwhile, the CDC on Friday carried in supplies requested by the region, including water purification tablets, collapsible bottles, detergents and cleaning supplies, beddings and blankets, among other materials.
