Suriname Flooding: Aid Assistance Being Delayed

Fons in Brussels, one of the translators assisting the efforts at this blog, reveals that in the Netherlands the Surinamese community are distressed at the ongoing crisis and stresses that the media reports being televised paint a picture of governmental chaos amidst major destruction caused by the floods:

“I have seen pretty hapless authorities on TV, they have no clue what is happening, there seem very few contacts in the area. People are pretty upset about the government, it is thought that the president acted too late. Now the government is first moving in the whoever they have within the national army instead of providing aid to assist people. Although the main needs are food, medicines and shelter there are no planes yet to bring in aid.

Although the country’s relief crisis center has already been established at the Ministry of Defence in the capital — Paramaribo, the army wants to first set up relief operations in each of the affected areas as there is only a limited number of planes plus they want to have the army there before relief items are transported around”.

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