in the rivers. Jerry Slijngard, manager of the National Coordination Center for Disaster Control (NCCR), explained that the situation is currently under control but that a possible flooding has not been ruled out. Especially the Amerindian villages that are located in the south western part have already been flooded.

Slijngard pointed out that the villagers of Apetina, Palumeu, Kwamalasamutu, Alalapadu and Tepu have already been affected by the rising water levels. He also pointed out that the agrarian land has already been hit. Many villagers depend on agriculture to survive. If the water destroyed their crops, they will not have any enough food in their village. Meanwhile the water is moving to the east via the Tapanahony River and will connect with the Marowijne River before flooding the Paramaccan region. Officials fear that the potential flooding could hit the fields where the crops are located and the infrastructure.

Slijngard explained that Lokaloka is seen as an important indicator of the severity of the situation because that is the first area that is hit first when the water level rises to dangerous levels.

“One the school at Lokaloka is hit by flooding, we will know that the flooding will cause serious problems”, said Slijngard. Meanwhile the government has already put together a special crisis management team that has been raised with keeping an eye on the developments and determining which measures must be taken. According to Slijngard, this team will not only focus its attention on the coastal regions but on all of the areas that are flooded as well.