their homes because of flooding. The shelters are deemed necessary due to the fact that the Weather Service Suriname has predicted heavy thunderstorms and strong gusts of wind that could blow the roofs off of houses. The coordinator of the NCCR, Colonel Jerry Slijngard, urged citizens to prepare for calamities by taking precautions. He also advised people to put their valuables and important papers in a spot where the water can’t reach them in case of flooding. While streets and homes are flooded President Simons acknowledged that the flooding is not only the result of heavy rainfall but also of a delay in maintenance and poor spatial planning. The head of state expressed sympathy towards the residents whose homes are flooded and pointed out that some families are facing an emergency which is why she has asked the National Coordination Center for Disaster Control  (NCCR) to provide assistance where the situation is getting serious. “Not everybody is hit hard but assistance must be available to those who are facing an emergency,” said President Simons who urged citizens to report their problems regarding flooding to their local District Commissioner’s Office. The head of state made it clear that the problems did not appear out of the blue but that her administration ‘inherited’ a situation where canals and other drainage systems received very little to no maintenance.