Relocation of some farms and income support for farmers are among recommendations made in an assessment of the floods that have swamped large swathes of the country over the last month.
The assessment is being done by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in collaboration with Guyana’s Civil Defence Commission (CDC), according to a statement yesterday from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips and team of government ministers were updated on the findings yesterday, the statement said.
During a meeting at the PM’s Office yesterday, Government officials were informed about the preliminary findings by Executive Director of CDEMA, Elizabeth Riley.
The statement said that the findings indicated that the floods were severe.
“The team found that all impacted areas experienced damage… to crops and livestock. They also found that livelihoods have been disrupted and that the damage… (has) created a decrease in supply, which (has) substantially increased market prices”, the statement said.
Phillips said, according to the statement that the overall report, which will be submitted to the Government, will identify the impact of the floods on various sectors and will be a guide in the Govern-ment’s recovery process.
“What it will help us to do is to start the recovery process in an informed manner, the contents in the report will aid us in determining the priority projects. What will happen now is that they will put together a detailed report that will be submitted to the Government and from there we will determine our next steps”, he added.
Among the recommendations, the statements said are a comprehensive plan for recovery, including the relocation of farms in some areas, income support for farmers, the acquisition of planting materials and the provision of food supplies to affected persons.
Key findings in the social sector were that there was displacement of individuals and families across communities and many children were unable to attend school as a result of the disaster.
The CDEMA Executive Director, who arrived in the country yesterday morning said that the team conducted a comprehensive analysis and examined a range of issues.
“We looked at water and sanitation issues …we also discussed impacts to housing and the potential steps that could be taken to address this, as well as infrastructure and sheltering arrangements for persons who have been displaced”.
The statement said that Riley praised the CDC for its efficiency in coordinating an effective response to the disaster.
“We looked at the extent of which the coordination was being effected within the sectors and I think that one of the very good findings is that the Civil Defence Commission, under the leadership of Colonel (Kester) Craig, has done an excellent job in the overall coordination thus far”.
To date, the statement said that the CDC has coordinated and distributed over 34, 000 food hampers and over 26,000 sanitation hampers across the country.
According to information from the CDC, since May 18 there have been reports of persons affected by flooding. Those reports now pertain to over 51,000 households in more than 300 communities across all 10 administrative regions of the country.
Also present during yesterday afternoon’s meeting, were Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat; Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony and Director General of the CDC Lieutenant Colonel Craig.
