– water recedes in East Canje and Upper Corentyne
The flood waters have receded in East Canje and Upper Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), and Regional Chairman, Mr. Zulphikar Mustapha, told the Guyana Chronicle that flood-affected residents will be receiving supplies on Tuesday. “In East Canje, we have many people affected and additional supplies will be sent there on Tuesday,” he said.
According to the chairman, the region is working closely with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to ensure that relief reaches those affected.
“We are working closely with the CDC and the collaboration has been very successful so far,” he said.
Mustapha said the Upper Corentyne areas that are flooded are private lands, located approximately 100 miles from Orealla.
He added that those affected have been assisted.
Those affected were primarily forestry workers on concessions in the area, and one of the largest lumber operators in the area, Ganesh Singh, said the water level is the highest that has hit the area in years.
“In 2008 we had high levels of water, but this time around it is the worst,” Singh said.
Singh, who has two Timber Sales Agreements (TSAs) along the upper Corentyne, said the affected areas include Cowfalls, Wanatobo, Timehri Rapids and Locust Landing, among others.
Singh noted that lumber operators in the area have also received support from the Government of Guyana through the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).
In other flood-affected areas, several government ministries are advancing interventions of their own, in collaboration with stakeholder agencies, especially the Health Ministry, whose teams are providing support through medical outreaches that oversee the distribution of medical supplies.

REGION 9 COPING
In Region 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo), residents are in recovery mode as they make efforts to return life in the region to normal.
The floods, treated as a national emergency, were the worst in decades, and the Regional Executive Officer (REO), Mr. Ronald Harsawack, disclosed that the recovery is in its third phase, which will see emphasis placed on rebuilding.
He explained that phase one was relief and support to over 400 families that needed shelter and food.
Phase two, Harsawack said, focused on deploying support teams to meet immediate needs. Those teams also assessed the condition of critical infrastructure and the losses that resulted from the inundation.
“Phase three is expected to last for about four to five months,” he said.
The REO noted that during this time, the focus will be on ensuring a level of normalcy and the improvement of the communication systems among villages spread across the region to ensure that all affected are supported.

STILL FLOODED
In Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice), the reports are not as favourable, as some areas at Kwakwani’s Water Front and Lamp Island are still under water.
Region 10’s Regional Executive Officer (REO), Mr. Devon Bremner, told the Guyana Chronicle that the access roads are now passable, with the exception of the road to Lamp Island, which is still under water.
“The residents are going back to their normal activities and supplies continue to be taken in. Only Wednesday the CDC brought in 150 food hampers for those affected,” he said.
Bremner added that stakeholder groups are working to ensure that those affected are provided with some measure of relief.
The Assistant REO, Ms. Maylene Stephens, in an invited comment, said the water in the Rockstone area, where several families have been affected, has receded significantly and continues to go down slowly.
She added that collaboration between the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and the Praise Tabernacle Church saw four 450-gallon water tanks being donated to the community to ensure a fresh water supply.
“We are expecting some additional supplies from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, but so far the community is doing well,” Stephens said.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry’s Hydromet office is forecasting that rains are expected to continue throughout the month of June, with normal to above normal rainfall throughout all of Guyana.