President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday hosted a high-level meeting with members of his Cabinet and representatives of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to assess the current flood situation in Guyana.
The group, which included Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, met at the Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive to discuss ways of mitigating the effects of the flooding on low-lying housing areas and agriculture (crops and livestock) and to brainstorm solutions.
Minister of Home Affairs, the Honourable Robeson Benn; Minister of Public Works, the Honourable Juan Edghill; Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, the Honourable Gail Teixeira; Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony; Minister of Amerindian Affairs, the Honourable Pauline Sukhai; Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, the Honourable Nigel Dharamlall; Minister of Public Service, the Honourable Sonya Parag and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar and representatives from the GDF, including Chief of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess and Head of the Civil Defence Commission, Kester Craig were also at the meeting.
Before the meeting ended, the President left with a team to inspect the flood situation at Mahaicony Creek. There he visited First Savannah, Water Dog Creek and Gordon Table where he assessed, first-hand, the impact of the floodwaters on residents’ homes, livestock and crops.
Brigadier Bess and Mr Craig also accompanied the Head of State.
Meanwhile, several Government officials have also visited affected areas over the last few days, including Prime Minister Phillips, who journeyed to Black Bush Polder in Berbice on Wednesday.
Guyana is currently faced with severe rainfall in several parts of the country and according to information from the Hydrometeorological Service, heavy rainfall will likely continue over the next few days.
