ReliefWeb

A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Description of the disaster

On 4 June 2021, a joint press conference between the Ministries of Public Works, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and Regional Development and Sports was held to discuss the state of flooding in Suriname, and the Meteorological Service Suriname (MDS) indicated that it would rain more in Suriname in the next three months.
The MDS indicated that it has been relatively wetter in the coastal plain for the past three months of March, April, and May than the four-year average. As a result of the heavy rains, large parts of Suriname were flooded. Reports were made in almost every district of Suriname, including:

• Paramaribo, especially in the residential center and the suburbs.

• Nickerie, in the communities of Wageningen, New Nickerie, Corantijn Polder.

• Coronie: Totness and surroundings.

• Saramacca: Uitkijk, Dambuntong and surroundings.

• Marowijne: Akalekondre, Albina and surrounding communities, Snesi Kondre Kondre and surrounding in the interior.

• Sipaliwini: Apitina, Tepu and surrounding Amerindian villages in the Interior.

• Commewijne: Kronenburg, Baki.

Although it is still not clear what the actual numbers of affected persons are (as the Government is still working on needs assessments of some affected communities), the Government stated the estimated number of families affected to be around 2,000 families. However, the Suriname Red Cross estimates that the numbers are higher, as not all affected households from the ten Suriname districts were registered. The heavy rains continue (irregularly and not long-lasting) in most of the Country’s districts, even though traditionally it should be the dry season. The weather forecast predicts rains at least until the end of September 2021.

Assessments completed in August showed that the floodwaters still have not fully receded in many communities. Although life is returning step by step to normal, access (and thus supply chain) to some communities remains difficult. Farmlands are still flooded with water affecting the restoration of livelihoods for several farming communities in the affected districts. In many households, damages occurred to their household furniture, clothing, electric equipment such as refrigerators, doors and walls from the houses.

The table below summarizes the losses suffered by the households in the affected communities targeted by the National Society. This data is based on the detailed assessments completed by the National Society. The survey revealed that significant damage occurred in agriculture, as in both urban and rural areas, many cultivated plots were damaged.