– water level increases

THE Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has delivered a significant portion of the food items that had been set aside for 300 residents of Kwakwani who are still suffering from flooding (CDC). The remainder of the food is expected to arrive by plane on Thursday and Friday. Distribution of the food items to residents is expected to commence on Friday.
This is according to Regional Vice-Chairman Elroy Adolph, who is currently in Kwakwani overseeing the mobilisation and distribution process from the community level. Director-General of the CDC, Lt. Col. Kester Craig is overseeing from the level of the CDC.
Each family will receive rice, oil, flour, sugar, canned food, detergents, potatoes, onions, garlic, butter, biscuits, peas, etc. The residents had earlier received cleaning agents and utensils.

Disappointingly however, the water that was receding slowly earlier in the week, has reportedly risen on Tuesday as a result of heavy rainfall. “Right now it gone back to about 8 ½ feet, because of the rainfall we got,” said Mr Adolph. In previous years, the water took weeks, even months to completely recede, at one time, even in the month of September. This year’s flood was described as one of the worst.
Earlier in the week, the residents expressed their appreciation to the CDC for promptly responding to their call for help.

Resident Mavis Lewis said that the items distributed are what the people need right now, given the intensity of the flood. “I think all the residents are glad to get the stuff. The [CDC] was prompt and we appreciate that very much,” Lewis told the Guyana Chronicle.
Resident 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 earlier from the authorities within Kwakwani. He is however appreciative for the speedy response from the CDC officials.

The residents are more grateful for the food items because the cost-of-living has increased tremendously since the flooding started. Prices in the shops have spiralled and transportation costs for residents to access these items have also increased. Many subsistence farms from which the residents also sourced food were inundated. The communities that are directly affected are Waterfront, Lamp Island, Aroima and Ginger Island. These communities are located in close proximity to the Upper Berbice River that borders Kwakwani.

Resident Carla Cole said that the situation is a strenuous one, since money is not circulating. “Because they know that is the only way we can get in an out, they 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.