Help is on the way

-President Ali assures Upper-Berbice residents

President Irfaan Ali, assured residents of the Upper-Berbice district who are hit hard by flooding as a result of the May/June rains, that tangible support will be provided at the earliest possible time. The president was accompanied by by Minister of Public Work, Juan Edghill; Director General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig and other government officials on Saturday afternoon. The delegation visited the communities of Kwakwani, Bamboo, Hururu and Ladernsville that continue to experience rising water levels due to the May/June heavy rainfall.
The president’s visit primarily focused on assessing the needs of residents and providing support swiftly.

Approximately 340 residents in the villages of Hururu and Ladernsville are under five to eight feet of floodwaters and have been given full assurance by President Ali, that Hururu’s Primary School; Nursery School and several government buildings will be used as a shelter to accommodate the residents, if water levels should continue to rise.
” The CDC will assemble a team to work with you from tomorrow, we will also send in food supplies and medical supplies,” President Ali said

The president alluded to farmers whose farms were destroyed and continue to count their losses, that he along with a team from CDC, will return when the water recedes to do an assessment which will be followed by the provisions of the necessary supplies.

With little to no access to potable water, the government has also committed to residents in the Upper-Berbice River to dispatch several black tanks, in an effort to provide water for domestic use.

In an interview with INFO10, Director General of CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig said, “in all the years visiting the Upper-Berbice district to assess its occasional flooding, this is one of the worst floods I’ve experienced and have placed a significant impact on lives.”

Craig also added that the CDC will continue to monitor the situation closely and “intends to give residents as much support in terms of constructing shelters, medical supplies, cleaning and food hampers.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, visited the community of Coomacka and also distributed hampers to residents affected by flooding, while Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Suhkai, visited Rockstone.