President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge on Wednesday handed over a cheque for GY$10 million (US$50,000) to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to support flood relief efforts across the country.
CDC’s Director General Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig received the cheque at the Commission’s Thomas Road, Georgetown Headquarters. He expressed appreciation for the company’s support and continued collaboration with the agency.
He also pointed to other areas of support over the years such as the CDC’s oil spill response capabilities and labelled the company a true partner.
“ExxonMobil has always been a valuable partner…We have been working together, not only for response operations, but in also building our response capacity,” Craig said. “They supported us in the establishment and implementation of the Voluntary Emergency Response Team (VERT), and that is one of our most valued and ready teams that is always available to respond to any hazard, natural or man-made, across the country.”
Routledge said the company is proud to be part of a larger group of businesses that have come forward to help in bringing much needed relief to those in need.
“The magnitude of this flood and how it continues to affect so many people across Guyana is truly sad to see. We recognize that there are so many needs at this time, and we are pleased to support the efforts of the Civil Defence Commission in bringing much needed relief to those affected,” Routledge stated.
The CDC has been deploying teams over the past 14 days to conduct rapid assessments and verifications of flood reports across the country as a result of heavy rainfall over the past 2 weeks.
In an effort to ensure that affected residents receive adequate food, clothing and shelter, thousands of food and cleaning hampers have been distributed in regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10.
The Commission said it will continue its distribution of food and non-food items to affected residents as the need arises.
The National Weather Watch Center has advised that Coastal Regions will likely experience cloudy to overcast skies with scattered showers of varying intensities and frequent rain Monday through Thursday. Thundershowers are also likely to be experienced over these areas. Rainfall is expected to range between 1 inch and 3 inches within a 24 hours’ period. Southern Guyana and Inland areas will likely experience similar conditions from the afternoon into the evening hours with rainfall likely to range between 1 inch to 4 inches within a 24 hours’ period.
