Unusually high rainfall forecasted for upcoming season – Hydromet

…residents should prepare for flash floods

The Hydrometeorological Office has cautioned that there will be unusually high rainfall in Guyana during the upcoming season, which will run from December 2021 to February 2022.
At the 11th National Climate Outlook Forum and Flood Preparedness Session, hosted in collaboration with the Civil Defence Commission, Chief Hydrometeorological Officer Dr Garvin Cummings said there must be adequate preparation for the rainy season, which promises unusually high amounts of rain.
According to him, a specialist team continues to work with climate resources to ensure that weather predictions are as accurate as possible, and that the information is disseminated in a timely manner. The aim of the forum is to guide the Weather Service to present climate information to meet the needs of all stakeholders, and to convey uncertainties associated with weather predictions for the impending rainy season.
Additionally, CDC’s flood preparedness session focused on key activities to strengthen flood risk management and reporting, operational gaps, and significant next steps.
Specialist Meteorologist Komalchand Dhiram predicted that above-normal rainfall is in the forecast when compared to previous years, and as such, most of Guyana will be wetter during that period. A summary climate outlook illustrated that citizens should prepare for flash flooding in most Regions, with the southern Regions expecting cooler-than-usual temperatures.
Between May and June this year, heavy rainfall resulted in widespread flooding across the country, affecting thousands of households. The devastation included submerged buildings and vehicles, with adverse effects on crops, livestock, and health.

It has been noted that the rainfall experienced in May alone was recorded as the second highest level of rainfall across the country in the last 40 years. All 10 administrative regions in Guyana experienced varied levels of flooding, prompting Government to roll out immediate responses such as the evacuation of those most at risk, and flood assistance.
Following intense fieldwork, President Irfaan Ali told the nation that 52,000 households were affected by the torrential rains and flooding that beset Guyana earlier this year, and announced several billion dollars in relief assistance for citizens and farmers who were affected in all 10 administration regions.
In these categories, the Head of State noted that farmers within the context of a homestead would receive $100,000 each, those with kitchen gardens would receive $50,000 each, and households excluding homestead and kitchen gardens would receive 50,000 each.

The President explained that the combined assistance to homestead farmers, kitchen garden owners and households for these categories will be in excess of $3.5 billion. He acknowledged that whilst some large-scale farmers were severely affected, especially in the rice and poultry sectors, the ceiling of assistance would not exceed $10 million for individual farmers.
In regard to the rice sector, where 50,000 acres of farmlands and 2000 farmers were directly affected, Ali announced that farmers with harvest-ready rice that was destroyed would receive $80,000 per acre, and farmers who had sown and lost rice in the autumn crop would receive $65,000 per acre.
For land that was completely prepared but not sown, $45,000 per acre would be given to these farmers. In addition, to this support, 60,000 bags of seed paddy were to be made available.
Director-General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, reminded that with the recent unprecedented rainfall and flooding, planning for the immediate and distant future of disaster risk management in Guyana is of paramount importance. He pleaded for other relevant agencies to utilise the information formulated in the session to better inform their stakeholders of the climate expectations.
“We must adopt a proactive approach, both from the Hydromet perspective and from the Disaster Response and Preparedness perspective said, Colonel Craig.