–President Ali leads inter-agency responses, says tarpaulins to be distributed, further assessments underway
PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday joined Regional Chairman Devin Mohan and senior ministers on the Essequibo Coast as authorities moved swiftly to assess widespread damage to homes, public buildings and electricity infrastructure caused by a severe weather system across Region Two (Pomeroon–Supenaam).
President Ali was accompanied by Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Madanlall Ramraj, as well as regional and technical teams.
Regional Chairman Devin Mohan, providing an initial briefing, reported “severe damages” along sections of the coast, affecting both private residences and government facilities, including areas around Regina, Charity and neighbouring villages.
“Along the coastline, Anna Regina Stadium, we have some severe damages along the coastline. For example, Henrietta Richmond, more precisely, Charity. We have some severe damages to both private and government properties along the coast.”
From the on-the-ground assessment, most of the structural impact was to roofs.
The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were already deployed in the affected communities as the President and ministers arrived.
“The CDC, Civil Defence Commission, and the Army, they’re already on the ground… so the initial response would be to ensure people have temporary roofing, which is tarpaulin that we have now, and then there’s already a team doing the full-scale assessment on the damage,” President Ali said.
The immediate priority, officials explained, is to provide tarpaulins to households and institutions that suffered roof loss or partial damage, conduct comprehensive assessments to guide roof restoration and permanent repairs, and identify and address any injuries resulting from the severe weather.
The President noted that restoring essential services remains a key priority. Up to press time, approximately 90 per cent of electricity service in the affected areas had been restored, with crews continuing work to reconnect remaining communities and repair damaged infrastructure.
The Ministry of Education also reported structural damage to several school buildings across the country.
The ministry said the most significant damage was recorded particularly at the Anna Regina Multilateral School and Rivers Town Primary School, where sections of the facilities were affected by heavy rainfall and strong winds.
The ministry also confirmed that a teacher attached to Rivers Town Primary School sustained injuries during the weather event and is currently receiving medical attention.
“The Ministry is deeply concerned to have received reports of an injury sustained by a teacher at Rivers Town Primary, who is currently receiving medical attention. Our thoughts are with the teacher for a swift recovery,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also said they remain in close contact with the regional administration as efforts continue to assess the full extent of the damage and mobilise additional assistance where required.
Extensive assessments are currently being conducted across the country to determine the impact of the adverse weather conditions on educational facilities and other public infrastructure.
Once the immediate evaluations are completed, the Ministry of Education said it will work closely with the relevant Regional Democratic Councils and municipalities to ensure that all structural damage is repaired as a matter of urgency.
The ministry also confirmed that a weather-related electrical incident at Westminster Secondary School on the West Bank of Demerara was swiftly contained. A freezer in the school’s canteen sparked following power fluctuations, causing a small fire that was quickly extinguished by police officers using fire-extinguisher balls supplied by the Guyana Fire Service.
No injuries or structural damage were reported at Westminster Secondary School.
