Guyana declares flooding a national disaster

President Irfaan Ali proclaimed that the floods across Guyana have reached the stage of a national disaster and crisis.

In a gazetted proclamation of the floods as a national disaster, it was noted that 28,228 households have been affected by flooding in all ten administrative regions.

Some of those households have seen water entering the homes, while in other cases domestic animals and livestock have been left in distress while farmlands have been inundated.

The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) noted that while the Guyana floods have been classified as a Level 2 disaster, indicating that the national capacity to respond is not overwhelmed but external help is needed, the situation in some regions can be classified as Level 3, which would allow for more international support.

“The impact of the flood in the Regions vary, with Regions 1, 3, 4, 8 and 9 being at Level 2, given the national capacity to manage the impact, while Regions 2, 5, 7 and 10 are classified as Level 3, based on the magnitude of the flood. It is for this reason that regional and international support is needed to effectively mobilise resources in order to respond and recover from the impact of the floods.”

With support from the Government and the private sector, the CDC has been reaching out to communities with relief supplies.

“To date, 17 829 cleaning hampers and 21,735 food hampers have been distributed across the regions as a form of emergency relief”.

Shelters have been set up in Regions 2, 9 and 10, housing a total of 205 residents who have been displaced from their homes. 

The Guyana government is also seeking international help to assist in the flood relief efforts.