U.N. launches $3M appeal for Guyana

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The United Nations has launched a $3 million flash appeal for more than 300,000 Guyanese affected by recent floods from heavy rains.

Nearly half the South American nation's total population needs safe water, adequate sanitation, healthy food and the re-establishment of health services and education.

"This emergency may have gone unnoticed outside Guyana in the aftermath of the tsunami," U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland said Tuesday, referring to the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean disaster.

"But for those struck, the effects of the floods have been no less devastating than on the Indian-ocean beaches. Having witnessed the impressive generosity of donors for survivors of the tsunami, I hope that they contribute rapidly and fully to this appeal," Egeland said.

Drainage of the floodwaters has been extremely slow and even now, between 80,000 and 90,000 people still have water in and around their homes three weeks after the disaster struck. Many areas remain accessible only by boat and the water level is reportedly still as high as 3-5 feet in some villages, while rivers have swollen alarmingly.