-as unusually heavy rains take exacting toll
-Minister Benn monitoring situation closely
MINISTER of Hydraulics and Transport Robeson Benn spent yesterday and last night at Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) assessing the extent and impact of flooding caused by heavy rainfall, and  arranging assistance from Central Government in the form of food, potable water and medical supplies for hard-hit residents of the village and its environs.
Heavy rains have been pushing the basins of the Takutu and possibly the Ireng and Rio Branco rivers on the Guyana/Brazil border to their limits, forcing water into already swollen tributaries, which have in turn been spreading out into surrounding low-lying areas.
This is the second time in two weeks that Lethem and its environs have been hard-hit by flooding.
Flood waters menaced these areas in the third week in May, but then retreated. They were back with a vengeance as of last Wednesday.
In an interview last night, Minister Benn confirmed there was extensive flooding in both the northern and southern Rupununi, with over 40% of Lethem under water.
Detailing the impact of the flooding as directly observed by him, he disclosed that at least 35 families in the environs of Lethem had to be evacuated from these areas and relocated to accommodations on higher ground in Lethem itself.
And, displaced families housed at the Amerindian Hostel Friday had to be relocated to other accommodation yesterday, as rising flood waters surged into this building Friday night.
Residents of the nearby villages of St. Ignatius  and Moco Moco and others were being ferried by boat  through flood waters isolating these villages from Lethem.
As at early last night, eleven business-places were flooded out; the large transformer of the Linden Power Company, located just above ground level, was damaged, leading to reduced electricity generation and power outages; and the transformer of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GT&T), though protected by sandbags, was under threat.
The airstrip at Lethem was not affected, but the roads leading to and from it were under water, forcing the use of alternative access routes to get there.
On the Linden/Lethem road north of Annai, four bridges were damaged, one by a large apparently goods-laden truck which had broken through the bridge, and was up to last night resting on the creek bed below.
Minister Benn said he spent most of yesterday on the ground with a team including Regional Officers of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and technical staff.
He was also in contact with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), through Dr. Roger Luncheon, to organize the relief that is expected to be transported into Lethem for distribution to victims.
Commenting on the situation of families who have had to abandon their homes, he said that the numbers were growing up to last night.
At the time of reporting, he and the Disaster Preparedness Committee of the RDC of Region Nine were mulling the use of the Rodeo Ground as alternative accommodation for these evacuees.
Minister Benn said he intends to overfly areas in the deep south of Lethem to get a feel of the extent and the impact of the flooding there.
With respect to the fuel situation for electricity generation at Lethem, he said that the LPC has one week’s supply of fuel for this purpose, and that arrangements are being made for these supplies to be replenished before they are exhausted.
Other counter-measures undertaken, Minister Benn said, include the deployment of two teams of workmen to the damaged bridges on the Linden-Lethem road between Annai and Kurupukari in the North Rupununi, and they are expected to complete the repairs by Wednesday.
He added that teams from the Mekdeci Mining Company (MMC) are also currently repairing sections of the roadway in Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice) which had been washed away by swollen creeks.
The weather over the Rupununi yesterday was heavily overcast with frequent showers, conditions which suggested to many residents that the flooding could get worse.
Regional Chairman Clarendo Lucas reported that the Disaster Preparedness Committee (comprising the  Police, The Army, the Red Cross , the telephone and power utilities, the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils NDC) and  private businesses) has been working assiduously on  relocations, sandbagging and other relief activities.
He said he was confident that with the support of Central Government, through its own efforts and with the help of public-spirited persons, the RDC will be able to mitigate the impact of flooding on the evacuees, and help them to regain normal lives when the crisis is over.