List of flooded communities grows Monitoring continues Stabroek News June 7, 2000 Floods continued to plague the country yesterday causing much discomfort to the residents of the affected areas. One new addition on the list of affected areas is Philadelphia, East Bank Essequibo, which experienced some flooding late yesterday afternoon as a result of a breach in the sea defence. Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara has also experienced some flooding due to the clogging of the canal and the water from heavy rains not being able to run off. The Mahaicony is also affected as a result of the heavy rainfall. Commissioner of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Major Ivan Alert, had told Stabroek News on Monday that he was aware that six of the ten administrative regions in the country were affected by flood waters. Yesterday he said that there were no new developments in the regions but all were being monitored. The other areas affected are: Gunns Strip; from Coomacka, Linden to Malali in the Demerara River; Helena, Mahaica; Stanleytown; Parika and Vergenoegen in Essequibo and Numbers 19, 51 and 52 villages on the Corentyne. The severe flooding in the country is as a result of persistent rainfall and high water levels coupled with weak river/sea defences. The flood situation has prompted Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries, Crops and Livestock, Reepu Daman Persaud and Satyadeow Sawh to pay visits to Mahaicony and Stanleytown respectively today. Regional Chairman of Region Three, Parag Sukhai, told Stabroek News via telephone yesterday that the flooding at Stanleytown was because of "overtopping due to high tides." He said some Region Three residents might have lost poultry because of the water, but pointed out that he had immediately notified the Sea Defence Unit on Sunday and had received a prompt response. He said that at the moment the workers were in the process of building a temporary wall to stop the water, but later a contractor would be employed to erect a permanent wall so as to prevent a recurrence of the breach. Sukhai said that he had also spoken to health officers from the West Demerara Regional Hospital and they would be visiting the affected areas to monitor the health situation. Head of the Sea Defence Unit, George Howard, also paid a visit to the area yesterday afternoon, Sukhai said. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today