Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, yesterday visited the storm-hit village of Retrieve and the flooded community of Coomacka, Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region 10), where he met with the affected residents and assured them of Government’s support.
This assistance will range from the restoration of livelihoods through the provision of seeds and other supplies to assist in their rebuilding efforts, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency said.
Harmon, who first stopped at Retrieve Village, said that the Government has been briefed on the plight of the residents and is committed to bringing relief to them. As such, he said that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) will be working with the regional administration to assist the affected communities. Harmon is presently performing the functions of Prime Minister.
The Minister praised the residents for their efforts in assisting each other during their time of discomfort.
“I want to commend the community spirit of the residents here. I have been noticing that when we have disasters like these, that the residents and community come out and assist and that is a very good spirit for us here in this country. We have had problems with Regions 7 and 8 and persons came from all over the country to make contributions,” he said.
Director General of the CDC, Colonel (ret’d) Chabilall Ramsarup noted that the Commission is working around the clock to bring relief to residents in all the affected regions.
“This is not the only region affected. We have had flooding recently in Regions 7 and 8, which affected more than 350 persons. We have had flooding in Region 2 and the entire coastland can be flooded if the rain continues to fall. So we are trying to help all over,” he said.
The release said that the Director General handed over a quantity of seeds and other agricultural implements such as shovels, cutlasses, hoes and rakes to the residents, which he said can help them to make a new start while Harmon handed over several boxes of clothing.
Member of the Parliament with responsibility for Region 10, Jermaine Figuiera, in his brief remarks, said that the Government’s prompt response is a clear indication that it is paying attention to the wellbeing of the citizens, regardless of their location and this must be commended. More importantly however, he said that the communities must continue to work with each other and for each other so that they can soon overcome the setbacks created by the storm.
