Georgetown, Guyana (July 17, 2015) The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) through the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) is reporting that normalcy is gradually being restored to some communities as flood waters begin to recede.
At a meeting convened at 18:00 hrs at the CDC’s office to be brief Acting President, Moses Nagamootoo, and Cabinet on the flood situation, it was reported by the Centre that while Regions 3, 4 and 5 are the most affected, water has started to recede in some communities across the coast land.
The Acting President told the members of the NEOC that they must “work round the clock” to ensure that the lives of the citizens are not affected much longer than it should and noted that the Centre has the support of the government.
Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence announced that shelters have been established for residents who are affected. Specifically in Albouystown, one of the hardest hit areas, Minister Lawrence said that shelters have been established at the Albouystown and the Selman Fraser Nursery schools for children while affected elderly residents can contact the Ministry of Social Protection on telephone numbers 225-6545 or 225- 7112 for assistance.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, informed Cabinet that all measures are in place to ensure that all of the pumps and sluices remain in operation to facilitate fast drainage of the flood waters.
Reports from the major utilities were also presented at the meeting. The Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) reported that there were power outages in 28 areas earlier in the day. However up to press time, the amount had reduced to only one area and the representative of the company said that it was expected that the community’s electricity will be restored before the end of the evening. The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has not recorded any compromising of its water resources.
The total losses and the total number of persons affected by flooding are yet to be determined. One tool the Centre is using to gather data for that assessment is social media. Residents in affected areas are being advised to share photos of flooded areas and information on to the level of the flood water in their areas or homes, any health problems being experienced, the level of nearby canals and the extent of damages they have experienced or witnessed. These can be shared on the Facebook pages of the NEOC, Habitat for Humanity, The Guyana Red Cross Society and the Civil Defence Commission.
The weather forecast for tomorrow shows overcast conditions during the morning, with light to moderate showers and possible thunderstorms in some areas over the coastal regions, becoming partly sunny in the afternoon with a few light showers. Some areas of Regions 4 and 10 may experience outburst of thunder during the afternoon.
All other locations will see partly cloudy to cloudy skies with a few passing showers. Rainfall is expected to be between 15.0mm and 30.0mm within coastal areas and between 0.0mm and 15.00mm in other locations.
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