Two days - six emergency patients flown.

This 17 year old had both of his lower leg bones fractured in another motor bike accident and subsequently had to be air-lifted to Georgetown along with two other teenagers from the South Rupununi with unrelated trauma injuries. As development and mechanization is only increasing in the interior of Guyana, there is a critical need for improved and dedicated emergency response services. What do you think?

Thirteen flooded wells restored in a day.

A team from RAM and Guyana Water Inc. worked together on Saturday to treat and pump out thirteen more contaminated wells in the Lethem area. Pictured here is the team moving the equipment across to the next site in the flood- affected Tabatinga housing scheme.

Aubry Roberts was the visiting engineer heading up the efforts as dozens of families have come forward to RAM requesting the service after days of record flooding. Most of the hand-dug household wells are their primary source of drinking water and are often located in proximity to pit latrines - that distance limited by the size of a house lot.

Follow up visits will be conducted including the collection and testing of water samples at each of the affected sites. The mapping work by RAM volunteers in the six flooded neighborhoods of Lethem has formed the basis for this intervention.

Please consider supporting RAM to extend these services to the many remote villages whose drinking water was contaminated by flood waters this rainy season.

Tragedy at the Dadanawa

Our deepest condolences go out to the entire Dadanawa family in the wake of the tragic accident last night.  The untimely death of Claudius Perry will impact all that knew and loved him.  A speedy recovery is hoped for all those injured in the accident.  

Special thanks to Philbert Malcolm for volunteering to work all night on the plane to help make it airworthy to respond at sunrise.  Additional thanks to Jason Harley, Sumi Atkinson for their volunteer support; Patrick de Groot, TGA, John Isaacs of Carribean Aviation Maintenance Services, and Capt. Ronald Reece of Wings Aviation for getting the materials delivered ahead of schedule.

Operation Restoration

This is one of the 31 contaminated wells that has been documented and mapped in the Lethem area alone by community volunteers working with RAM.  Visible at the top of the picture is one of 42 mapped latrines also located in the flood affected areas.  The wells are hand dug and typically between 15 and 40 feet in depth.

The plan is to set up teams, and train community members to restore these wells as a critical health and sanitation effort.  A Georgetown volunteer attached to Guyana Water Inc. is preparing a standard protocol for both concrete-lined and unlined wells.  Two pumps with associated hosing have already been donated for this purpose.  Thanks to Capt. Gerry Gonsalves of Trans Guyana Airways, these are already on the ground in Lethem.

In many outlying villages that experienced flooding this season, the well situation is even more difficult given the lack of options and access to bottled water.  Most residences in the remote villages of the Rupununi are thatched and therefore do not support the collection of rain water.

RAM Guyana is expecting over $1000 lb of urgent relief supplies, collected by supporters in Georgetown, to arrive on a flight tomorrow with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC).  

Flooded home vs. flooded farm? You decide.

On a RAM Airborne flood assessment and relief flight this week, Steve Faria of Sand Creek village, explains the serious medium term effects of flooded farms.  He also explains the effects of flash floods on the mud walls of residences such as the one in this video.  

Humor amid disaster?

 This young lady had a tough time delivering the Ministry of Education exam papers to the waiting RAM aircraft preparing for another relief/assessment flight to the South Rupununi.

Not only did her umbrella invert while stepping out of the car in a downpour, but she slipped on the muddy ramp with that contraption and all the exam papers for the district under her arm.  Fell splat - shrieking into the deep puddle adjacent to the plane.  She was laughing at the end - (not hurt, papers still dry) and we were entertained throughout.

 
Yvonne had to put up this sign the other day at the RAM shack toilet.  Many of the volunteers continue to perform marvelously while suffering from GI ailments of various descriptions. 

Too many volunteers, and none have time for plumbing at this level! 

Most appreciated donation so far.  Leroy and his buddy's made an impact on volunteer morale by picking and delivering this load of mangos to the RAM shack porch.  His team also arranged boats for our neighborhood assessment team at Windmill.

Team work for relief work.

Here are a few of the many community volunteers at the RAM shack that were in action today in one of the following teams.

Data Management team: the relief and recovery workload is now divided for conquering: six distinct neighborhoods have been established and mapped for these emergency purposes.

1)SI - St Ignatious
2)CC - Culvert City (includes Don M and east)
3)LT - Lethem (Takutu H to Mohan)
4)WM - Windmill (was 'Ghetto')
5)TD - Tabatinga Drive (Bounty through Linus)
6)AT - Accross Tabatinga (paddle over)

Mapping/assessment teams (Six): One per flooded neighborhood. Are tracking and mapping critical health and flood data to focus interventions..

Water distribution: load it, truck it, treat it, deliver it, educate at the same time. Five person team. RAM has now taken on coordinating all water distribution in the Lethem area.

Health Education team: focusing on children in shelters.

RAM office team: coms, vol registration, clean, cook, HIV testing, flood hotline, coordination.

Flight team: fuel, load, fly, maintenance.

Transportation team (sea and land): relocations, vehicle maintenance, fuel, boats for field teams, pick mangos for vols.

Plans:
- well pumping teams (need equip)
- Clean up kit distribution (supplies needed)
- health outreach w/ RPH and MoH
- Village Airstrip projects (medium term)
- On going logistical support to region. (long term)
- Coordination with all agencies.

Folks and business persons willing to contribute from Guyana are encouraged to contact RAM Guyana Inc's Chairman: Patrick de Groot at (592) 691 0299. Online contributions through ramusa.org. Currently RAM is responding immediately to basic needs in faith with funds we do not have.

Special thanks to Col. Ramsarup of the Civil Defence Commission for organizing space on a flight from Georgetown to transport five more drums of precious Aviation Gas to keep the RAM C-206 flying.

First flood relief flown to Santa Cruz and Sand Creek.

A flight to the Sand Creek area is here being loaded quickly as a case of appendicitis had to be air-lifted from that location this afternoon. Included on the flight were the following:

-Radio phone equipment to re-establish village communications (GT+T)
-750 lb of essential relief supplies from the including:
.Medical supplies and drugs (MoH)
.Water purification supplies (CDC)
.Dry food stocks (CDC)
.Cleaning and disinfectant materials
- the head of the village Women's Group (on behalf of the stranded Touchau)

The pilot did have enough time for the first assessment of some of the damaged houses, many of which had their mud brick walls collapse completely. Two feet of water swept through the area in a flash flood in recent days.

It was reported that another aircraft from Georgetown with officials on board had not been aware of the village/RAM project to build and certify an alternate, all weather airstrip some years ago. The old village strip is clearly unusable in such flooding conditions and the flight had been unable to land.

A second emergency patient (8 yo femur frx) could not reach any airstrip in time as his father could not bicycle the many miles with his wife holding the child in her arms. Will try again in the morning. An airstrip project with RAM is already under discussion for that village (Shiriri).

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Water is Life - Deliver it.

For the second full day, a group of volunteers headed by Richard Rennie have joined the organization's Bedford truck to deliver treated drinking water to affected residents in the Lethem area. Pictured here is the heavy hauler after a long day on the road with the distribution tanks on board.  The team also is disseminating health and water safety educational flyers.

All of the Culvert city and Lethem areas were served today while the focus tomorrow will be over the Tabatinga where a volunteer rapid assessment team has identified a whole neighborhood in need of drinking water and other essential support.

Another talented group is working at the Lethem RAM shack to actually create scale area and neighborhood maps for effective data management and coordination of relief and recovery efforts.

All actions are in close collaboration with the Regional disaster response team now headed by Minister Benn.

Youth Volunteers do it again.

The first deliveries of treated drinking water were delivered to 30 unreached families late Monday night. A team including Michelle, Philbert, Yusuf and Krista used the RAM 4x4 to make it happen for the Windmill St neighborhood when all others had packed it in for the day.

Working from a makeshift volunteer headquarters at the Lethem RAM shack, dozens of community members gave their time throughout the day to serve their swamped neighbors.

Some of their work on Monday included:

-establishment and management of community volunteer hq.
-Radio calls to 37 affected villages
-Delivery of lighting systems for two shelters.
-Monitoring of and response to flood relief hotline.
-Health education materials delivered on water and sanitation.
-Delivery of meals to shelters.
-Fixing the RAM Bedford breaks.
-Fixing the RAM hilux radiator.
-Data management for shelters and displaced persons.
-Establishment of mobile water delivery units (3).
-Dozens of displaced persons and needs assessments completed
-Meetings with National response team (3)
-Volunteer meal cooking established for 50 volunteers daily.
-Assessment flight with Min. Benn to look at damaged access roads.
-Delivery of treated drinking water to all of Culvert City.
-Mapping of affected communities initiated.
-internet updates to relevant authorities
-More families relocated during the course of the day.

RAM Guyana does not have established financial resources for disaster response so support is welcome for these critical interventions.

Online through ramusa.org or call our flood hotline to get involved: (592) 657 3985.

Takutu continues rising - Shocked residents scramble.

Houses that were never touched are swamped and residents on high ground have been sand-bagging frantically as the flood in the central Rupununi pushes relentlessly.

Stay tuned for more updates from around the district as RAM responds in collaboration now with the National agencies.

Representatives have been invited to meet twice daily with Acting President Hinds, the Minister of Works along with Col Ramsarup of the Civil Defence Commission at Lethem to coordinate RAM's response.

A relief and assessment flight was conducted late yesterday afternoon with the air-ambulance to the deep south and North Rupununi as the only road in both direction is washed away with scores of communities reporting damages and flooded farms.

Multiple houses have reportedly collapsed in the Lethem area alone as many more are relocating this morning.

Please pray for hundreds of displaced families and thank you for supporting our volunteer efforts.

All night battle to save phone lines.

A small group of community volunteers has been up all night battling the ever rising waters. The levels have shattered previous high marks and appears to know no stopping.

Here the Regional Chairman himself bails as he has for hours at one of the doorways to the surrounded building. Additional vollunteers have been called out of bed to assist.

Flood waters shut down Lethem power

Volunteers are currently bailing feverishly to preserve GT+T phone communications as we speak early Sunday Morning.

Massara village among many battling flood waters

Remote Area Medical is assisting the Region 9 authorities in gathering data on flooded communities. Pictured here is Massara village reduced to a series of shrinking islands observed on a recent medevac flight.

Reports are coming in (via HF radio) from multiple communities throughout the Rupununi of flooded houses leading collapsed mud walls, and many farms, roads and bridges severely affected.

The organization's aircraft remains the only available link to an increasing number of poor isolated villages due to deteriorating conditions exacerbated by the severe rainy season.

Lethem swamped, scores relocating to Shelters.

Pictured here are vehicles stranded outside of Lethem by the flooded Tabatinga creek this afternoon. RAM is in action once again with assessment, coordination and direct relief efforts.

The Lethem airstrip is being used as a street, dozens of houses are swamped and many roads and bridges are submerged and unusable.

The main road to Georgetown is also cut off due to bridges and sections of the road having been washed away.

RAM is responding with your support and in close collaboration with the local authorities. The organization has committed all available human resources plus vehicular and aviation assets to the effort to provide immediate relief in relocating affected families, collecting and managing data, and also communicating with outlying communities on behalf of the regional disaster committee.

The outpouring of volunteer support within the community has been very impressive. A 24 hour hotline has been set up by the organization to take direct requests for assistance.

The aircraft is being used today to fly in fuel, critical spare parts, and empty sand bags as the waters continue to rise.