Heavy rain, strong winds cause widespread damage across Guyana

Guyana: Heavy rains and strong winds caused great damage to schools and other buildings in several parts of Guyana On Wednesday, June 24. Parts of the Anna Regina Multilateral School and Rivers Town Primary School in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) reported significant damage. A teacher at the Rivers Town Primary School was also injured during the severe weather and is receiving medical care.

The Ministry of Education also released a statement expressing concern and wished for the teacher’s quick recovery.

The government of Guyana has started assessing the damage which occurred across the country. This includes repairing affected schools in collaboration with Regional Democratic Councils and municipalities.

The bad weather also caused an incident at Westminster Secondary School on the West Bank of Demerara. A power fluctuation caused a school’s canteen freezer to spark, causing a small fire.

Police from the Parfaite Harmonie Police Station responded quickly and used two fire extinguisher balls to put out the flames which were provided to them by the Guyana Fire Service before. No injuries or structural damage was reported during the incident.

Strong winds also damaged sections of the roof of the newly built Anna Regina Stadium in Essequibo. The stadium was still being prepared for its official opening next month. Authorities confirmed that no injury was reported there as well.

Emergency repair teams have already started fixing the damage at the stadium. Engineers are also inspecting the structure to see if there is any need for more reinforcement.

Severe weather hit many communities along the Essequibo Coast and other parts of the country. In some areas, fallen branches and temporary power outages were also reported.

Meteorology experts continue to monitor the same weather patterns, with more rain and strong winds expected in coming days. The public is also being advised to stay alert, keep safe, and to follow advice from authorities.