The flood situation in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) still remains a concern with at least 26,000 people affected.
During a telephone interview with the News Room on Thursday, Regional Chairman, Bryan Allicock, said that the water level has not subsided but would fluctuate; the flooding is also exacerbated by the water flowing from the Amazon River in Brazil and the recent heavy rainfall.
“It’s 57 villages and nearly 26,000 people affected in the region. And then, the rain is falling in and out. One time, the water goes down three feet and then hours after it coming up back,” Allicock related to the News Room.
The Regional Chairman also reported that many of the families who were forced into the shelters have returned home; only one person remains but he is expected to return home soon.
“We are hoping that we do not have to bring them back out,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Regional Chairman noted that the region is in dire need of food and sanitary supplies; there is difficulty getting the supplies to the communities since the floodwaters created 100 meters of slush at one of the main access bridges at Park Wood and, so, trucks are refusing to traverse until it is fixed.
He said that a bridge in the Iwokrama Forest area is presently being repaired, but until that is completed, residents will have to make do with the supplies on hand.
Per the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) update on Wednesday, over 6,000 households in Region Nine are affected by flooding. So far, the CDC has distributed 3,265 food and sanitation hampers to those residents.
Along with the flooding, another major concern that remains for Region Nine is the COVID-19 situation. He said the residents have adapted a “Georgetown attitude” where they would close establishments but continue imbibing inside. This, he said, leads to a rise in cases and thus far, almost 40% of the communities, including the township of Lethem, have seen an increase.
“We are educating people but still they are not adhering to the regulations.”
So far, the region has started a vaccination drive in Lethem, while the medical team is doing house-to-house vaccination.
