THE Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has urged residents along the Cuyuni and Mazaruni Rivers, Region Seven, to immediately evacuate their homes and to move to higher ground in anticipation of continuous rainfall likely leading to flooding and possible mudslides.

The CDC issued the warning on Monday afternoon on its Facebook page, stating that the National Weather Watch Centre forecasts that conditions will likely lead to continued flooding of areas already under water.

The CDC is urging residents to take the necessary precautions to safeguard life and property against flooding, heavy winds and mudslides.
Meanwhile, Regional Vice-Chairman Kamal Persaud said that while the warning has been issued, the challenge now is where to will residents evacuate, as those who are expected to be affected directly live in the hinterland areas of the region.

However, she noted that the authorities are moving ahead with plans to establish shelters in the region.
“It has already been planned that we need to put some systems in place, rescue shelters and so forth so that is definitely on the agenda,” Persaud said.

She added that the situation in the region has worsened; however, the regional authorities are working to bring as much assistance as they can to residents who are severely affected by the flood.

“For the day [Monday], we had heavy, heavy rainfall in the township, we are worse than what occurred on Wednesday”, she said, adding: “I am hoping that it won’t come to such devastation across the board; it’s a really rough situation, residents are heavily affected because of this.”

Persaud noted that while floodwaters have started to recede in the region, continuous rainfall is now seeing water levels rising.

“By the time we get the water off and we get it under control, and for residents to return to some sense of normalcy, water rises again,” the regional official stressed.

Over the last two days, President Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips, the CDC, along with several other government ministers have been fanning out across the country to flood-affected communities to assess the situation and provide support to those affected.

Additional pumps have since been deployed to affected areas and hampers have been distributed to residents across the country.

According to the Hydromet Headquarters, some 2.4 inches of rainfall is expected per day for the rest of the week.

The Hydromet Department has since issued a severe-weather advisory, noting that forecast conditions are likely to persist and lead to flooding in low-lying areas.
The authorities are advising citizens to take the necessary precautions, as rainy conditions coupled with high tides are expected to persist over the next few days.