Floodwaters have significantly receded in Region Nine over the last few days but according to Chairman Bryan Allicock, residents are bracing for a second hit now that rainfall has resumed.
Allicock told Stabroek News yesterday that water had receded by three feet in Lethem and significantly in other areas across the region. However, he noted that after a break in the weather pattern over the past few days, the torrential rains returned as of yesterday. This, he said, will soon be joined by the inflow of waters into the Takutu and Ireng rivers from Brazil’s Rio Branco prompting him to comment, “We are preparing for a second flooding,”
More than a thousand residents from Region Nine have been affected by seasonal flooding which has seen water levels across the region reaching record highs. As a result, crops have been destroyed and livestock have drowned.
Allicock said the region is still compiling the list of persons who have been affected, while the Civil Defence Com-mission (CDC) has already reached out and offered assistance. Once the total number of persons affected is known, he said, the CDC will dispatch relief supplies for that number.
However, more flooding is expected and the chairman is concerned that supplies might not be able to reach the region due to the condition of the road. “The roads are in a terrible condition but so far the buses are coming through but these trucks will be heavier so it will make the roads much worse.”
Meanwhile, according to Allicock, COVID-19 cases in the region are continuing to rise with 223 confirmed active cases dispersed across the entire region. He noted that the communities severely affected by the flooding are also the ones with the most COVID-19 cases. At present Rewa has the highest with 72 active cases in the community. “This is very devastating because farms and, crops and animals have been destroyed.”
In Region Seven, the situation remains much the same. Vice-Chairman Kamal Persaud noted that in Bartica, although not spared from the flooding, the weather has been calm and the town is back to normal. She said, however, this is not the situation for the rest of the region, with multiple communities, gold mining areas, and landings under water. The Regional Democratic Council, she added, is working alongside the CDC to provide relief for those persons affected.
