Floods and weather safety

Official sources of weather information

• The Hydrometeorological Service (Hydromet), under the Ministry of Agriculture, publishes daily forecasts, tide times, sea conditions, marine and severe weather advisories, radar and satellite images, seasonal outlooks, and farmer and drought bulletins. You can subscribe for weather alerts on its website ^[1].
• Hydromet issues spring tide advisories. The one in force when we checked advised residents of low-lying, riverine and flood-prone areas to take precautions against flooding, as overtopping was likely ^[1].

In an emergency

The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) leads disaster risk management and response in Guyana ^[2].

• CDC emergency hotline (24/7): +592 623-1700, +592 226-1027, +592 678-9989, +592 600-7500 ^[2]
• Address: Thomas Road, Thomas Lands, Georgetown ^[2]
• The CDC website has an incident reporting button, advisories, emergency plans and a volunteer corps you can join ^[2].

For police, fire and ambulance numbers, see Essential services and who to contact.

Simple flood preparation

These are general good practices, not CDC instructions:

• Follow Hydromet and CDC advisories, especially during spring tides and rainy periods.
• Keep important papers (ID, passport, transport, insurance) in a waterproof bag, up high.
• Raise electrical items and stock off the floor in homes and shops.
• Keep drains and culverts around your property clear.
• Store drinking water, a torch, a charged phone power bank and any regular medicines.
• Do not walk or drive through fast-moving floodwater.