Govt aids Mahdia residents after heavy winds
─ conducts further assessments
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, September 7, 2019
Following heavy winds which resulted in structural damage of several buildings in Mahdia, Potaro-Siparuni, Minister of Communities, Hon. Ronald Bulkan and Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, on Saturday, travelled to the township where they conducted further assessments and delivered supplies to aid in the reconstruction of the buildings.
In an invited comment, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig stated in less than 24 hours, a team was mobilised to conduct further assessments. The team comprised of the government officials along with the Regional Chairman, Regional Executive Officer, Regional Engineer and staff of the CDC.
“We came to Mahdia to have a first-hand look at the situation and have visited the primary school which was impacted, the secondary school and several homes, some of which were completely destroyed and others partially impacted,” he said.
The Director-General said activation of the Regional Disaster Risk Management System (RDRMS) aided the relief efforts. He explained that “the region would have started to put systems in place to bring things back to normalcy”.
“The RDC activated the RDRMS and started the assessment without the CDC and it shows that the training we have done is being utilised effectively.”
Chairman of the Potaro-Siparuni Region, and head of the regional disaster risk management committee, Bonaventure Fredericks assured the region has the situation under control.
“The regional administration took action along with the business community as well as the Mayor and Town Council to bring relief to the residents,” Fredricks expressed.
Speaking to DPI, Toshao of Campbelltown, Marbelle Thomas explained that an internal assessment is being conducted in her community and once completed, the information will be handed over to the regional officials for assistance.
Following the evaluation, Minister Bulkan noted that collaboration between all tiers of government is important to ensure the wellbeing of all citizens.
“To see the levels of cooperation between the different tiers of government, the central government, RDC and the municipality of Mahdia, points to the fact that we have to cooperate especially in times like these to provide support and relief to affected residents.”
The Communities Minister observed that several homes were unaffected by the heavy winds and instructed the regional engineer to conduct an assessment to determine the factors that allowed these structures to remain undamaged.
His Worship the Mayor of Mahdia, David Adams commended the central government for their prompt response.
On Friday, reports from the region indicated that the township had experienced high winds which resulted in structural damage to several buildings, especially to the Mahdia Primary School whose roof was blown off. Persons also sustained injuries, one of whom was evacuated to Georgetown for medical treatment. Repairs are currently being carried out on the school’s roof, to ensure classes can resume on Monday. It was also indicated that the Guyana People’s Militia was also deployed to assist residents to repair their homes.