Attachments
Description of the disaster
In mid-May 2021 Guyana began to experience higher than normal levels of rainfall across the country, this led to what has been described as the worst flooding in Guyana for over 20 years. Communities across Guyana were severely affected by the flood which caused homes to be flooded, loss of crops and livestock, displacement of families and damage to buildings. The flooding has also caused severe mental trauma as many persons lost their homes and personal belongings, livestock and farms which was the main source of income, and some others have lost family members to suicide. This crisis has been exacerbated by the current COVID-19 epidemic that we are experiencing, especially for the persons housed in formal shelters.
The water has receded in most of the communities, which has now taken the community members into a recovery period. It is now that the damages to building and their foundations are being fully evaluated as several buildings and homes were completely under water. In addition, farmers and livestock owners are trying to find ways to rebuild and move forward as many of their farms were completely covered for several weeks and livestock were killed by wild animals or sold off at a lesser cost. In addition, with the receding of the water, there is an expectancy of an upsurge of water and vector-borne diseases.
Summary of major revisions made to the emergency plan of action:
Despite delays in the Logistics Supply Chain affecting the start date of distributions, the National Society initiated on 7 September 2021, and it is anticipated that the distributions will continue throughout the month. There have been delays in the execution of the CVA Program, which accounts for more than half of the National Society budget. The modality selected, after several consultations with the CVA Delegate and based on market and accessibility, is a Multi-sectorial voucher as the target beneficiaries reside in remote communities. The Guyana Red Cross Society (GRCS) has now received the technical approval for the procurement process from the Regional Logistics Unit (RLU). Distribution of the vouchers to the communities will commence during the week of 21 September 2021. To fulfil the purpose of this DREF, enough time would need to be provided for beneficiaries to obtain what they need.
Therefore, to complete these additional activities, the National Society is extending the timeline by one month (no-cost extension). The new end date of the operation is 31 October 2021.