Mahdia Authorities meet as flash floods hit community- residents may have to be evacuated

May 03, 2016 News

Region Eight Chairman, Bonaventure Fredericks, recently visited the various areas of Mahdia that have been affected by severe flooding.  The Mahdia area is no stranger to flooding. According to reports, at least 20 families have been affected as a result of flood waters.
The massive flooding has taken its toll on the bridges and roads in the area.

A resident’s house completely surrounded by flood waters.

It is reported that heavy rainfall has continued since Sunday in Mahdia and outlying areas and continued unabated throughout the night. Subsequently, officials from the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) yesterday visited afflicted areas in an effort to determine what could be done to assist residents in the Region.
Following the visit, an emergency meeting was held in the RDC Boardroom to determine what could be done to help residents. The meeting comprised members of the Guyana Police Force, the Public Health Department and the Department of the Public Infrastructure of the RDC as well as Mr. Roger Hinds and other members of the Business community in Mahdia and the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) in the Region.
After some deliberation, it was decided that the Public Health Department would conduct a detailed assessment and initiate actions to assist in possible preventative measures to address possible diseases.
Fredericks said that health officials have been visiting residents and distributing drinking water and other essential items.

Some of the roads in the community have been completely submerged.

GGMC will be conducting investigations to determine the source of the fast flowing water that continues to plague the low-lying areas while the Department of Public Infrastructure will look at the possibility of rerouting the drainage to avert a continuity of the flooding and to determine the possibility of revamping an old access road to facilitate transport into the community.
It is a norm that whenever flooding occurs, vehicular movements to certain sections of the community are curtailed. This seriously impedes progress in cases of emergencies; access to the airstrip and the commercial sector.
Via telephone last evening, Regional Chairman Fredericks stated that as of yesterday flood waters have receded slightly but that the Region is continuing to monitor the situation because while the rainfall has eased, it is expected that there is more to come.