Robert Lalah and Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporters
RICARDO MAKYN, Staff Photographer -
Indera Persaud (left), honorary consul of Guyana to Jamaica, and Stuart Hughes, general engineering specialist Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), join Major Olivia Gulley, territorial officer, Caribbean Territory of the Salvation Army as they look through documents before the start of the media briefing to give an update on flood-ravaged Guyana. The briefing was held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel yesterday.
MRS. INDERA Persaud, the honorary consul of Guyana, has made an urgent appeal to Jamaicans to contribute to relief efforts being organised to assist the people of Guyana affected by recent widespread flooding.
At a press conference in
yesterday, she appealed for
medicine to help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases, some of which have already started to affect the Guyanese population.
Skin infections, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever are becoming increasingly common in the region and the problem is expected to get worse when the water
finally recedes, she reported. The flooding has resulted in contamination of the water system in Guyana and distribution has been affected by flood-induced
interruptions of electricity
supplies, Mrs. Persaud reported.
WORSE YET TO COME
The floods have caused the deaths of six persons and disrupted the lives of over 400,000, or half of the population of Guyana. Of this, more than 200,000 persons are reported to have been severely affected, and continue to be hounded by rainfall that shows no sign of subsiding anytime soon.
Mrs. Persaud said the worst is yet to be seen. "As bad as the situation is now, we won't be able to grasp the full magnitude of this disaster until the waters have receded," she said.
Major Olivia Gulley of the Salvation Army told The Gleaner yesterday that her organisation has collaborated with the honorary consulate of the Republic of Guyana, to organise and distribute relief supplies to the people of the affected region. Monetary donations may be made to: the Guyana/Jamaica Relief Fund, National Commercial Bank, account number 40-1009167.
Meanwhile, locally based
non-profit organisations yesterday lamented the poor reaction
by Jamaicans who have been lethargic in supporting the
disaster relief funds that have been established to garner funds for victims of the Asian tsunami.
"We are urging people to help ... we have an account at Citibank and you don't actually have to know the account number to give," appealed Dr. David Smith, programme specialist for Environment and Disaster Management at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Yesterday, the Office of the Prime Minister confirmed that the Ministry of Finance had made $15 million available to the foreign affairs ministry for contribution to towards the United Nations tsunami aid fund.
But to date, private donations from Jamaicans have been trickling into bank accounts at a 'molasses' slow pace. "It has been quite slow, but persons have responded and we are extending accolades to those who have responded," said Ruth Chisholm, director of emergency services and communication at the Jamaica Red Cross, which has collected only $50,000 to date.
