FOLLOWING the Linden landslide on Poker Street in Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), Symon Harry, owner of B. Harry Lumber Yard and General Store is currently working on two of the damaged houses.

In an interview with this publication, Harry said he hopes the houses can be completed in two months.

“We have laid the foundations for the two houses and put on the first layer of the foundation blocks. That will be followed by the columns and flooring. I don’t have a big team that is working with me, so it may take about two months or so on average,” he said.

The lumber yard owner also requested that the three pensioners affected by the ordeal stay near his home. He believes that he is doing the right thing by allowing them to see the progress of their houses as he rebuilds. The other affected family also continues to reside at the homes of their family members.

Harry assures the public that everyone is “alright” and all the persons affected are doing well and being cared for.

Meanwhile, the Regional Chairman, Deron Adams, told the Guyana Chronicle that he met with the families and provided some food hampers to them on behalf of the regional office.

“I met with the families, and they were happy to see us. Despite the disaster and the sadness it brought, the families were happy and relieved that we could deliver some food hampers to them,” the Regional Chairman noted.

He continued by saying, “Mr B. Harry continues to use his resources to bring relief to the families as well, and so we are grateful to him. There are other stakeholders who came on board as well, but Mr Harry is dealing with the bulk of the cleaning up of the entire area and of course, the rebuilding.”

The chairman intends to “check in and follow up” with the lumber yard’s owner before the end of the week or in the new week.

He also mentioned that a team of counsellors and other professionals would go into Poker Street and meet with the affected families and the other residents.

He added that their aim is to observe and monitor the community’s ongoing work, give comfort, and help restore some normalcy to the community’s people.

Taking into consideration that the disaster occurred during the last quarter of 2022, Adams said “our budget was depleted; however, for the new year, we will definitely reach out to the families and provide some assistance to them as soon as parliament approves the disaster funds for the region.”

The landslide that occurred on November 30, 2022, was reported to have been caused by Charlie Thakur, an excavator operator working for the private contractor and lumber yard owner Symon Harry.

According to reports, the operator was digging to locate a drain at the time, which he believed would have alleviated the flooding situation in the community. According to Mr Harry, the operator went too close to a pocket of water, which caused the land to shift.

He also told the Guyana Chronicle that the land in that area is known to hold excess water.