The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), along with the Region 3 Regional Democratic Council, is making provisions to relocate those West Coast residents affected by the overtopping of the sea defence earlier this month.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CH&PA Lelon Saul told Stabroek News on Wednesday that the department is currently identifying suitable areas for the relocation.
Saul said that the relocation exercise will target residents within the affected villages, including Cornelia Ida, Uitvlugt and Stewartville, and specifically those residents located within 200 feet of the seawall.
According to the CEO, Region 3’s Regional Executive Officer is currently gathering data on the affected households. He noted, however, that it is likely that assigning those lots will take more than a year, considering that new areas for housing would have to be developed.
During a period of high tide at the beginning of March, extremely high waves caused damage to houses along the dam and to several blocks within the West Coast communities, with Uitvlugt and Stewartville being the worst affected.
There were reports of three houses being destroyed and others being shifted.
