Gov’t designing flood recovery interventions ahead of CDEMA’s final report – Dr. Ali

Even as it awaits a final assessment report from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) on the recent countrywide flooding across Guyana, the government has already moved ahead with designing its recovery interventions.

This was disclosed by President Irfaan Ali at the sidelines of an event at Timehri, East Bank Demerara on Friday.

Responding to questions from the press, Dr. Ali said briefly that the government has completed its own internal assessment; that assessment has already determined that the floods were “devastating, to say the least”, the President said.

Dr. Ali explained that even with this data, the government is patient for the full final report from CDEMA.

“Then we will look at all the data collected and have a full assessment… we are just awaiting the final numbers,” he explained.

Already, CDEMA has recommended monetary support for farmers who have suffered due to the nationwide flooding, as well as the relocation of farms.

CDEMA’s recommendations were stated in a press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday night, following a high-level meeting with Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, the CDEMA teams currently in Guyana, members of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and other ministers of government.

Five teams from the CDEMA in collaboration with the CDC spent a number of days travelling across the five regions of Guyana that were severely impacted by the recent nationwide flooding.

One of the teams of officials from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) conducting the flood assessment (Photo: DPI)

The teams conducted a detailed Damage Sectoral Assessment in Regions Two, Five, Six, Seven and Ten – the five regions that recorded a Level III disaster since they were worse affected by the nationwide flooding.

On Wednesday afternoon, the team, including the Executive Director of CDEMA, Elizabeth Riley presented some of the preliminary findings at the high-level meeting.

Key recommendations presented were: the need for monetary support to be provided to farmers whose income was impacted, the relocation of farms in some areas, the procurement of planting materials, and the provision of food supplies to affected residents.

The Executive Director, following that meeting, told some members of the media that the CDEMA teams had been able to assess the coordination of support services by the CDC, the coordination at the regional level, and the ability of the relevant authorities to mobilise support in specific sectors.