Guyana: socio-economic assessment of the damages and losses caused by the January-February 2005 flooding

This report was prepared at the request of the Government of Guyana following the torrential rains and subsequent flooding that caused physical damage and economic loss to the country. The consequences of the flooding pose the need, beyond the immediate humanitarian response, for a rapid assessment of the damages (impacts of assets) and losses (effects on economic and social flows) to determine the implications on macroeconomic and fiscal performance and the social and environmental consequences.

The assessment was carried out using the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) disaster assessment methodology as elaborated in the Handbook for Estimating the Socio-economic and Environmental Effects of Disasters (ECLAC, 2004, www.eclac.cl/mexico) and the Disaster Assessment Training Manual for Caribbean Small Island Developing States. (ECLAC, 2004, www.eclacpos.org)