President Ali leads recovery response team to storm-hit Essequibo Coast

President Dr Irfaan Ali said his Government has instituted an immediate roofing relief programme for persons on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two, whose homes were battered by unusually heavy winds and rainfall today.

Hours after the incident, the Head of State conducted an on-the-ground assessment of the situation in Better Hope and Richmond Village.

More than 100 homes, public buildings and infrastructure were damaged by the heavy winds.

The President reassured residents that his Government will provide tarpaulins (tarps) to every affected household for temporary relief. He added that all residents will also be provided with zinc sheets to repair their homes.

“This is where the pride of our nation is—our men and women in uniform, the CDC, the Army, Men on Mission, the region, the Cabinet—everybody is on board, the police, and all night tonight they will work on putting up what we call immediate roofing relief, which is a tarpaulin.”

Over 120 tarpaulins were distributed to the affected families. Earlier this evening, Guyana Power and Light Inc. successfully restored electricity to the homes in the affected communities.

“We are hoping that by tomorrow evening, at least all the residents will have their roof completely restored. One of the schools in Riverstone, Riverstone School, the roof is completely gone. So that will take a bit more than tomorrow to have completely fixed.”

According to the President, the Army will prioritise restoring public infrastructure, focusing on supporting the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and single parents. Local communities will also be supporting relief efforts. The goal, President Ali said, is to have all critical public infrastructure fully repaired by Sunday, though some repairs may extend into the weekend.

Several Cabinet Ministers, government and regional officials and members of the Joint Service were part of the President’s delegation.

“I want to really thank the region, our men and women in uniform, the police, the Army, the CDC, the engineers, the Cabinet, and all those who came out and really worked. And they are going to continue to work tonight” (Republished from the Department of Public Information)