-teacher injured, over 100 structures damaged
A teacher was injured and more than 100 homes, public buildings and other facilities were damaged across Region Two yesterday after a powerful squall accompanied by heavy rainfall swept through the area.
President Irfaan Ali yesterday afternoon led an inter-agency government team to the Essequibo Coast to assess the damage and oversee immediate relief efforts. He announced the handing out of tarpaulins to protect the homes with damaged roofs and pledged that a team will today assist with the replacement of roofing sheets.
The afternoon squall unnerved thousands in Georgetown, on the West Demerara and on the Essequibo Coast. There had been no warning from the meteorological office about the approach of severe weather and the storm caught many by surprise. There was further drama in the afternoon when strong tremors were felt from a major 7.1 earthquake off the coast of neighbouring Venezuela.
Among the damaged buildings are the recently built Anna Regina Stadium, which is still to be commissioned, the Anna Regina Multilateral School and the Anna Regina Fire Station.
Ali, in a statement posted on his Facebook page, said initial reports indicated that more than 100 homes, public buildings and other facilities were severely to moderately affected.
He said emergency support was already being mobilised, including temporary roofing materials and the restoration of critical infrastructure, while arrangements were also being put in place for temporary shelters if required.
“A full scale assessment is currently being conducted with initial support aimed at temporary roofing with tarpaulins, and restoration of critical infrastructure,” the President said.
The Ministry of Education last evening said several schools sustained structural damage during the weather event, particularly in Region Two.
According to the ministry, extensive damage was reported at the Anna Regina Multilateral School and Riverstown Primary School.
The ministry also disclosed that a teacher attached to Riverstown Primary School sustained injuries and was receiving medical attention. During his visit to the Essequibo Coast Ali was told that the teacher suffered a three-centimeter wound. He also visited the teacher in hospital.
“The Ministry is also deeply concerned to have received reports of an injury sustained by a teacher at Riverstown Primary, who is currently receiving medical attention,” the statement said.
The ministry said it was maintaining close contact with regional officials and had begun mobilising assistance while countrywide assessments continued.
It added that once immediate evaluations were completed, it would work with the relevant Regional Democratic Councils and municipalities to ensure that damaged school buildings were repaired as a matter of urgency.
Torn off
And in a statement last evening, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport said preliminary reports indicated that gusts associated with the weather system had torn off portions of the roofing material at the Anna Regina stadium which is in the final stages of preparation ahead of its scheduled opening next month.
The ministry said no injuries were reported at the site and that emergency repair teams had already been mobilised.
“Engineers are also assessing the structure to determine whether additional reinforcement is required before the venue is officially commissioned,” the ministry said.
The severe weather system also affected parts of Georgetown, East Demerara, West Demerara, the Essequibo Coast, the Essequibo Islands and Leguan, resulting in widespread electricity disruptions.
The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) initially reported that fallen utility poles, damaged network infrastructure and vegetation affecting power lines had caused service interruptions across several communities.
However, in a subsequent update last evening, the company said restoration efforts were progressing rapidly.
According to GPL, approximately 90% of customers on the Essequibo Coast had already been repowered, with the remaining customers expected to have electricity restored within an hour. Electricity supply had also been fully restored to Leguan, while customers on Wakenaam were expected to be reconnected in less than an hour.
GPL further said that restoration efforts in the affected areas of Demerara were progressing steadily, with electricity expected to be fully restored within three hours.
The company said the damage to its transmission and distribution network was primarily caused by trees and wind-blown debris coming into contact with power lines and other electrical infrastructure.
Technical teams remained deployed across the affected areas removing fallen trees and debris, repairing damaged infrastructure and restoring power to customers.
Strongest
Residents across affected areas described the weather event as one of the strongest they had experienced in recent years.
Several social media users compared the conditions to a hurricane, reporting that roofing materials and other debris were seen being blown through communities.
Among those affected was STEMGuyana founder Karen Abrams, whose Enmore, East Coast Demerara home sustained damage when the ceiling of her verandah was blown away.
“It literally felt like a hurricane. It was sudden. I was working on my computer when I heard the crashing sound,” Abrams told Kiskadee Watch.
She said workmen who were already at her residence carrying out another project assisted with the cleanup after the ceiling was dislodged.
The damage to the Anna Regina Stadium also drew criticism from Opposition APNU parliamentarian Saiku Andrews, who shared video footage of the facility on social media.
“ANNA REGINA NATIONAL STADIUM $BILLIONS SPENT; ONE STRONG WIND EVENT; ROOF GONE,” Andrews wrote.
He added that quality infrastructure should be judged by its performance under stress rather than by ceremonial openings.
Authorities had not, up to press time, provided an estimate of the cost of repairs to the stadium or an overall assessment of the damage caused by the squall.
Surrounded by officials during his visit, Ali was told of damage to roofs on Lima Road, La Belle Alliance, Henrietta and Richmond on the Essequibo Coast. He assured that everyone who needed a tarpaulin would get one and that Men on Mission and the Civil Defence Commission would provide assistance.
Provision was also being made last night to provide shelter to some persons who were displaced.
Speaking after his assessment of the situation, the President said that the residents described the winds as the highest they had experienced. He himself also later referred to the winds as “explosive”.
He was told that the police station and the fire station in the area which he had visited had been damaged.
A woman who gave her name as Jenny Bacchus said the storm had been accompanied by rain and lifted the “whole zinc and carry it up in a corner”. She said everything in her house had been. She praised the president highly when asked by Ali’s media crew what she thought of her meeting with him.
The President was also told that in the Amerindian Village of Capoey a solar system had been blown off while in Mashabo some roofing sheets had been peeled off by the winds.
He also heard that there had been a total shutdown of power in the area and two poles had fallen.
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