By Vanessa Braithwaite

– residents hail response by CDC

RESIDENTS and officials of the Region 10 flood-hit community of Kwakwani have expressed their appreciation to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), for its prompt response to their plight.

Floodwaters in the community had receded four inches by Sunday afternoon after being about eight feet high on Friday. The communities that are directly affected are Waterfront, Lamp Island, Aroima and Ginger Island. These communities are located in proximity to the Upper Berbice River that borders Kwakwani.

Approximately 300 households have been affected by the flooding which started two weeks ago, but the situation was exacerbated last Wednesday and Thursday due to excessive rainfall. Speaking to Regional Vice Chairman of Region 10 Elroy Adolph, also a resident of Kwakwani, he said that the residents have expressed their appreciation for the CDC’s effort to promptly respond to their call for help. He, too, commended the work of the CDC, noting that the government agency responded in a mere two days after receiving a report on the flood.

“I am pleased, they were very prompt, I am very pleased that they have come on board to assess the situation and to also provide help, just two days after,” he said.
Resident Neola Narine, who is also playing an integral role in soliciting relief for the residents, said she welcomes the assistance given by the CDC.
“I welcome them, they have shown an interest, we are very grateful in the community for their presence, there is also Food For The Poor (FFP) that showed an interest in assisting the residents who were affected by the flood,” she related.
Another resident Mavis Lewis said the items distributed to the residents on Sunday which included soap power, bleach, soap, long boots, Fabuloso and other cleaning agents are what the people need right now, given the intensity of the flood and the environmental health issues to which the residents are exposed to.
“ I think all the residents are glad to get the stuff, I think that it is good with the CDC response, I think they were prompt and we appreciate that very much,” Lewis told the Guyana Chronicle.

Resident of Waterfront, Cort Simeon said he believes that the CDC would have responded even faster if they were made aware of the almost two-week-old situation earliest, from the authorities in Kwakwani.

“Well I think because of lack of information, if they had gotten information earlier, they would have come, Kwakwani people that have to send out information need to get themselves arranged and start do what they supposed to do,” he said. He is however appreciative for the speedy response from CDC officials.

WORST FLOODING

While the above-mentioned communities are always flooded during May- June rains, this year has been described as the worst. These communities, given the landscape and its proximity to the river, are not regularised communities.
Residents who have been squatting there for years said they are in no position to move because of finances.

As a result of the flood, transportation problems and the cost of living have reportedly increased and the residents who already have limited finances because of the decrease in logging activities, are finding it hard to afford the rise in prices in the shops, but more so the hike in transportation costs by the canoes and the taxis. This is because two of the three access roads into the central area in Kwakwani are impassable. Boats are now plying the flooded routes and are exploiting the situation.

“The boats are exploiting us because they are taking $300 for transportation, then the cars are taking another $300, so its $1,200 for a return trip to Kwakwani Park. In addition, prices in the shops increase as well,” Cort Simeon related.

He is calling for the officials to consider raising the level of the main access road, so that when flooding occurs in the future, at least transportation would not be affected.
Another resident Carla Cole said the situation is a strenuous one, since money is already not circulating.

“Because they know that is the only way we can get in an out, they [are] exploiting the situation terribly. You have to find so much money to get out, then so much money in the shop, because once transportation gone up everything else will go up, this is the hardest part,” she related.

The residents are hoping that soon, the situation will return to normalcy so that prices can return to where they were. In the past however, the flood sometimes lasted until September.