Guyanese killed in Hurricane laid to rest, more lumber for affected islands - CDC

Guyanese killed in Hurricane laid to rest, more lumber for affected islands – CDC

Oct 22, 2017 News

Following two devastating hurricanes in the region over the last two months,

Laid to rest: Hurricane victim Derek Ragnauth

Guyana is continuing its good neighbour role.
Containers of lumbers, water and food were sent. In fact, according to Colonel (Ret’d), Chabilall Ramsarup, Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the organization that coordinates national relief efforts in Guyana, in a number of those containers were items like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, rice and sugar.
Bulkan Timber Works, which does kiln-drying at Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, has sent out a container of dressed lumber. According to Justin Bulkan, a director, the company is preparing to send another container of mainly Greenheart, including some kiln-dried, and others of rough and dressed hardwood.
The company is also looking to pack a shipment of shingles sometime in the future.
According to Ramsarup, other companies like the Indian-owned Vaitarna Holdings, in Region Seven are also looking to get on board.
Even the Catholic Church has come on board, packing a 40-foot container.
So far, CDC has helped organize, with significant input from the private sector, 11 containers of relief items. They went mainly to Antigua and Dominica. Antigua’s sister island, Barbuda, was badly hit, after Hurricane Irma unleashed its full wrath, and leveled the island.
Guyana, together with its local aircraft operators, sent one flight to Antigua and another to Dominica with supplies. Two more went to the British Virgin Islands with another to the devastated St. Maarten.

Lumber being loaded into a container at Bulkan’s Yarrowkabra facilities.

In total, the planes brought back 56 Guyanese, including children, who were affected. Included on one of the trips were the remains of Guyanese-born businessman, Derek Ragnauth, who was killed after the roof of his Tortola business came crashing down. His body was pulled from the damaged building that he had insisted on staying in.
Ragnauth’s remains were flown in, along with two family members, at the expense of CDC. He was laid to rest last Sunday, Ramsarup disclosed yesterday.
On November 11, the CDC together with the private sector, is planning a major fundraiser at the Durban Park, the CDC head disclosed. The monies will be used to send even more supplies to the affected islands.
One business, Gaico Construction, had even chartered a plane and lent his vessel.
According to CDC, the containers are largely being handled by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
Both Irma and Maria caused billions of dollars in damage to St. Maarten, Barbuda, Dominica, Cuba and the US and British Virgin Islands. Parts of Florida in the United States were hard-hit too.
Dominica’s leader, Roosevelt Skerrit was not spared…he lost his home. It was reported that 27 Dominicans were killed with 10 persons in Cuba also losing their lives.
There was widespread damage to infrastructure, including to airports, internet connectivity, water supplies and farms.

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