EU ready to boost Guyana’s flood response

Guyana is likely to receive emergency support from the European Union (EU) under its Civil Protection Mechanism which aims to improve prevention, preparedness and response to disasters when an emergency overwhelms local response capabilities of the affected country.

Director General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel, Kester Craig today updated Ms. Evelina Melbarzde, Chargé d’ Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union in Guyana, on the Level 2 Flood Disaster that has been declared in Guyana.

The meeting was also attended by CDC’s Senior Preparedness Officer, Captain Lakshman Persaud and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Olive Gopaul.

During the meeting, the EU Chargé d’ Affaires invited Guyana to request for the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (EU CPM) to be activated.

“Once the Mechanism is activated the assistance is coordinated amongst 34 countries who participate in the EU CPM… I would invite you to formulate your request and tell us what exactly would be needed”, the Chargé d’ Affaires said.

Ms. Melbarzde informed the CDC that if this mechanism would be launched it would not be linked to any EU projects that are currently being implemented in Guyana.

By pooling together civil protection capacities and capabilities, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism allows for a stronger and more coherent collective response.

In addition to the EU Member States, there are currently six Participating States to the Civil Protection Mechanism; these are: Iceland, Norway, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Turkey. (CDC press release)