CDC receives over $3.7M in cheques, items

Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig

-to bolster national flood response

The Civil Defence Commission’s (CDC) on Friday received a donation of over $3.7 million in cash and essential items in response to its appeal for public support.

The donations were made by the Assembly of God Church in Guyana, Marics and Company Limited, the University of Guyana and GUYASPON.

CDC’s Director General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig said the contributions are welcome as they are in keeping with its needs list.

The Assembly of God Church donated $1 million and some $200,000 in cleaning supplies. The Director General said it is important that more organisations are coming on board to strengthen its response to disasters.

“What was very appreciative is the consultative process in how the donation came about. The Assembly of God reached out to us, we first and foremost tried to identify our needs and provide those supplies in keeping with the needs.

It is also very commendable that not only private sector agencies are on board. It was good to see the churches are coming on board to provide needed supplies to the communities that are affected,” he said.

Deputy Director-General of the CDC, Major Loring Benons receives a cheque from representative of online group, Guyana a Story of Pictures Old and New

Bishop John Smith said the church was happy to assist those in need. “We’re a part of the landscape and we have churches, and even if we didn’t have churches, we are Guyanese, and we are part and parcel of the nation, and we feel the suffering of those who are affected by the floods, and the other attendant things that came with the floods.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Director-General of the CDC, Major Loring Benons received a $1 million cheque from Marics and Company Limited. He noted that the private sector has always played an integral role in the CDC’s response operations.

Major Benons also collected two more cheques totalling $1.525 million. The University of Guyana donated $1 million, while online group Guyana a Story of Pictures Old and New, GUYASPON handed over $525,000.

With the wet season forecast to continue into August with above normal rains, the CDC says it would welcome more support for its national flood relief efforts.