Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed yesterday visited several flood-affected communities in Region Ten and distributed more than 400 relief hampers to residents as hundreds of families continue to grapple with severe flooding that has displaced over 1,400 persons.
Mohamed, Leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, and a team of supporters spent several hours in the communities distributing hampers and interacting with affected residents.
According to a statement posted on Team Mohamed’s Facebook page, relief supplies were distributed in Kwakwani, Hururu, Aroaima and Lamp Island.
Earlier on June 19th, APNU Members of Parliament Terrence Campbell and other party members also visited some of the affected communities and also distributed hampers.
In its statement, Team Mohamed said many residents reported receiving little or no assistance from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) despite significant public resources being allocated for disaster response.
“Many report receiving no assistance from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), despite billions of taxpayers’ dollars being allocated for disaster response and relief, not even a bottle of bleach or a grain of rice,” the statement said.
During a live broadcast of the visit, Mohamed argued that government intervention was needed to assist residents and mitigate the impact of the flooding. In one yard, a black water storage tank mounted on a trestle was almost submerged, highlighting the extent of the rising waters.
Residents told the opposition leader that many homes have been inundated for more than a month and expressed fears that floodwaters may remain for several more weeks.
As previously reported by Kiskadee Watch, water levels in Kwakwani, Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice), have risen as high as the second floor of some two-storey buildings, forcing residents to evacuate after warnings were issued by the CDC over approaching weather systems.
Region Ten Vice Chairman Mark Goring had told this publication that a rapid impact assessment was conducted on Friday alongside ongoing evacuation efforts. Among the hardest-hit communities are Kwakwani Waterfront, Lamp Island, Ladersville and Hururu.
According to Goring, approximately 1,000 persons have been displaced from Kwakwani, while a further 400 residents from Ladersville and neighbouring communities have also been forced from their homes. Rockstone Village has likewise experienced severe flooding.
Based on observations made during visits to the affected communities, Goring said dredging and deepening sections of the Berbice River would be critical to reducing water levels.
“The Berbice River will need dredging from Lamp Island going all the way to a three-mile stretch to take the water levels down,” he had said.
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