With residents of the Lower and Upper Pomeroon, in Region Two, severely affected by flooding over the past 10 days, many families are leaving their homes for higher ground.
The flooding has occurred as a result of continuous rainfall compounded by the silting up of the Pomeroon River and high tides.
Those severely affected are residents of St Monica, Karawab, Kabakaburi, and Wakapau, who have had to seek accommodation elsewhere.
Many farmlands are currently inundated with floodwaters and farmers are currently counting their losses. Prime Minister Mark Phillips along with Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha and Regional officials visited the Pomeroon River on Friday. There they met with flood-affected residents and conducted further assessments of the flooding situation in the communities.
During the assessment over 2,000 food hampers, 1,620 bottles of tonics, 810 medical hampers, and 20,000 water purification tablets along with collapsible bottles were distributed to various communities. Food hampers were sent to each household in the Pomeroon River. Purified water was also provided to residents through the Guyana Water Incorporated and the Region Two administration. Civil Defence Commission (CDC) officials are also on the ground assisting in the distribution of the food hampers.
Many farmers are clueless as to what will be their next move since they had invested all their income in their farmlands. Many of them had used the cash grants released by the government to purchase seedlings to re-plant their fields. Many families said their Christmas this year will be “dull” since much of their produce has been destroyed due to excessive water.
Only coconut plants are visible and are said to be withstanding the flooding. There were no reports of fever outbreaks in the Pomeroon River thus far. However, many residents are said to still use “latrines” and this poses serious health concerns.
“We really deh bad in the Pomeroon River. Every time it rains we getting flooding. We can’t blame anyone; its nature work. But persons trying to do embankment. The situation is sad,” a resident, Marcel Thomas, lamented.
Region Two Vice Chairman Humace Oodit said that the region will continue to monitor the situation and necessary interventions would be made where necessary.
