The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN ECLAC) is conducting a Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA) of the May-June 2021 floods here.
A release yesterday from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) said that five members of an ECLAC team arrived in Guyana over a week ago to observe and report on the economic impact of the May-June 2021 National Flood. The team was engaged in earlier discussions with the government here to communicate goals, expectations and finalise plans for the mission.
The group was led by Omar Bello, the DaLA Coordinator and also comprised Francisco Ibarra, a Mining Analyst; Michael Hendrickson, an Economy and Finance Analyst; Francis Jones, a Statistician, Population Affairs and Public Policy Expert; and Carlos Espiga, an Infrastructure Analyst.
The release said that their first deployment was on September 6 to Mahaica-Berbice. There, they inspected farms along the Abary River and the sea defence at Dantzig/Fairfield, along Guyana’s coastland.
On day two, the team travelled to Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo and observed farmlands and communities in the town of Lethem and the village of Sand Creek. On day three, the group visited Cuyuni-Mazaruni where they examined mining operations along the Issano to Olive Creek communities, as well as communities in the lower and middle sectors of the Mazaruni River.
The team then journeyed to Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice on day four where they observed the impact in Kwakwani, Aroraima, Hururu, Ladernsville and Lamp Island. They also visited a shelter managed by the CDC. On the final day, the group visited East Berbice-Corentyne, specifically Black Bush Polder and Port Mourant. There they examined farmlands and commercial communities.
Before the team’s departure, the DaLA Coordinator met with the Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig to update him on the progress made with the assessment. Bello said that the team’s report would be submitted within the stipulated deadline.
The CDC noted that a Detailed Damage Sectoral Assessment (DDSA) was conducted months ago by a team from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) during the final stages of the May-June flooding. The DDSA, which is also part of the Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA) continuum, is an assessment that is distinctive from the DaLA as it is usually done during the response and early recovery stages with specific geographical and sectoral focus. The DDSA reports are currently being review-ed by the CDC and other relevant technical agencies, the release said.
