President Jennifer Simons explained that Suriname has a capital that is inadequately prepared to cope with heavy rainfall. 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. She pointed out that the minister of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO) started working under very difficult circumstances. According to president Simons, at certain times the Public Works Ministry did not even have the essential tools such as excavators and other vehicles to get the job done. Despite the limited tools, the Public Works Ministry processed to dig up drainage canals and keeping the water pumps operational. However, the heavy rainfall is putting heavy pressure on the system. President Simons emphasized that other countries in the region are also facing similar weather conditions. In order to address these problems swiftly the Simons administration has decided to speed up the administrative procedures so that heavy equipment could be deployed faster.