Regional Executive Officer of Region Nine, Ronald Harsawack, told the Government Information Agency last evening that light vehicles, including minibuses, have begun travelling to Region 9 using the recently inaccessible Linden to Lethem road, damaged in parts due to flood waters.
Harsawack said that supplies can now be taken in via the road and that emergency works have begun. OMAI is repairing the stretch of road from Hunt Oil to Annai, while Dalip Enterprises is working on the Lethem to the Hunt Oil stretch.
Yesterday there was about 98% attendance at schools which reopened Monday after being closed to facilitate their being used as shelters. These include the Arapaima Primary and the Culvert City Nursery schools.
Last evening relief packages were distributed to residents of Lethem and its environs; St. Ignatius, Culvert City and Tabatinga. Supplies have been sent to all the sub districts in Region 9 as well.
All of the households that were flooded throughout the region will receive assistance through various interventions by government. To date over 1,000 families in the region would have received some form of assistance, Harsawack said.
The REO said that at Pirara, which has been badly affected by the flood, now has about 14 inches of water and 4 by 4 vehicles and mini buses have been passing through.
All the areas around Lethem are dry and the region is now monitoring villages down river at the mouth of the Rupununi River, such as Rewa, Apoteri, Crash Water, Massara and Yakarinta.
Region 9 and the State of  Roraima in neighbouring  Brazil were severely  affected by the prolonged period of rainfall that caused the bordering rivers to overflow their banks and flood the communities.
Government on June 5 coordinated a national effort to bring relief to the affected residents and this effort is expected to continue indefinitely. (GINA)