After survey…
OXFAM has begun distributing $2.6M worth of equipment in ‘D’ and ‘E’ Fields, Sophia, Cummings Lodge, Beterverwagting/Triumph, Ann’s Grove, Plaisance, Victoria, Cove and John and Nabaclis, all communities affected by the recent flooding.

The distribution of wheelbarrows, 10-pound sledge hammers, goggles, flashlights, emergency strobe lights, sirens and loud hailers, nose and mouth dust protectors/masks, fire extinguishers, dry erase boards and markers, working gloves, raincoats, rope and danger and caution tapes, is scheduled to end today.

Oxfam logistician, Mr. Sven Wills said the disbursement is intended to result in a reduction of human and material losses and water-borne diseases caused by floods, in the event of future recurrences in the most vulnerable areas.

Oxfam has also guided 20 communities in creating local emergency committees (LECs) which have been tasked with responsibility for coordinating response mechanisms in case of emergencies.

Ten of the LECs were a part of another programme which, in 2005, sought to enhance disaster preparedness (DP).

Wills also told the Guyana Chronicle that a participatory, vulnerability and capacity assessment (PCVA), also conducted by Oxfam within each of the 20 beneficiary communities, supported the work of every LEC and increased their ability to strategically identify possible coping mechanisms for flood eventualities.

Each LEC had five members, with individual specific mandates in the areas of health and sanitation, first aid, alert and evacuation, shelter management and information and communication, he explained.

Wills said what Oxfam did was a follow-up of its humanitarian input, during the 2005 floods, which was facilitated through the framework of the DP initiative, funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), referred to as the DIPECHO VI programme, that was implemented in several communities. (Vanessa Narine)