CDC assesses damages following heavy winds

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, July 8, 2020

On Wednesday morning, residents all along the coast experienced severe winds and heavy rainfall. This resulted in the roofs of some homes being blown off.

The Civil Defence Commission dispatched damage assessment teams in several areas.

According to a release from the CDC, heavy winds and rain began around 03:00hors and lasted until shortly after 06:00hors. This initially resulted in several yards being flooded but the water quickly receded.

“There were sporadic reports of slight damage that were controlled by householders while three (3) households in Vryheid’s Lust, Success and Lamaha Park (Demerara-Mahaica); and two (2) at Westberry and Line Dam Queenstown on the Essequibo Coast (Pomeroon-Supenaam) suffered varying degrees of damages to rooftops,” The release stated.

In an invited comment, Senior Response Officer, Captain Salim October told DPI:  “While several properties would have sustained minor damages to their roofs, several homes were severely impacted.”

He also disclosed that public utilities such as telephone lines and electricity poles were impacted.

According to Captain October, the CDC continues to monitor the situation and “work with the regional disaster response system and the regional democratic councils to ensure all communities’ needs are addressed.”

The Commission is urging residents in communities that are prone to flooding to take all the necessary precautions. Citizens are also encouraged to report any emergency to the Commission’s 24-hour National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) on 623.1700, 600.7500, 226.1114