$86.6M donated to CDC for flood relief

The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has so far received $86.6 million in monetary donations and 98,188 relief items from the private sector and non-governmental organisations, in response to its calls for support of the national flood relief efforts.

The CDC has also asked the public to support its flood relief efforts by making contributions based on its published needs list. It has also asked for volunteers to assist in packaging hampers.

Data from the Commission shows that 25 per cent of the country has been affected by flooding. Some 51, 578 households across the ten regions are severely affected. Communities in Region Six have been heavily impacted, with 10,367 affected households, followed by Regions Three with 5,761.

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency has classified Guyana’s flooding a Level 2 Disaster.

Its impact varies across communities, with Regions One, Three, Four, Eight and Nine classified at level 2, while Regions Two, Five, Six, Seven and Ten are at level three. 

The public was advised to take precautions and to relocate to higher grounds where possible.  To facilitate this, the CDC established 12 emergency shelters for displaced persons.

To date 239 persons are occupying the shelters, with a significant number being housed at the Hururu Forestry Compound.

The CDC has also documented 20,338 farmers and livestock being affected mostly in Regions Two, Six and Nine, even as the rain and high tides continue.

The agency has also distributed a total of 60,988 hampers, 33,548 of which are foodstuff and 25,440 cleaning supplies.

Additionally, the commission continues to monitor, record and update flood reports every 72 hours to assist affected persons.  

With the wet season forecast to continue into August with above normal rainfall, the CDC continues to reform the needs list based on the necessity of specific regions. The list is published on its website and social media platforms.