Residents of El Paso, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) are bracing themselves for the worst as the Potaro River overflows amid intense flooding due to heavy and continuous rainfall in the area.
In addition, the walls of the abandoned Tumatumari Hydropower Station have collapsed, causing the water to rush into the community.
Villagers say the situation is unprecedented. One resident said that in her 31 years of living at El Paso, she has never experienced such flooding.
“It is really scary…the hydro fall break away and so the water rushing more quickly,” she expressed.
Another resident explained that floodwater has submerged two houses.
“We didn’t expect the water to come so high. We had to take a boat and break the roof of a businesswoman’s house to get out her things,” the resident explained.
Meanwhile, a section of the road leading to El Paso has been submerged. This has affected vehicles from entering the area.
“You have to drive to a point. Park and take a boat and cross a section of the road because the water so high the vehicles will sink,” a driver noted.
A motorcyclist recalled that he had to hide his motorcycle in the bush nearby and swim across the submerged road to get home to his wife and young children.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, when contacted today, said she is on her way to the affected area to deliver relief hampers to residents.
The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has confirmed that as torrential rain persists across Guyana, all ten Administrative Regions have been hit by floods.
