© Demerara WavesOne of the damaged houses at Amelia's Ward.
The roofs of seven houses in Amelia's Ward, Linden were Monday afternoon blown off during a freak storm. No one was injured.
Region 10 Chairman, Sharma Solomon said telephone and electricity services were not disrupted but the there was "significant damage" to the houses.
A few trees were uprooted during the rainstorm that swept through the area around 5 PM.
At least one family of seven persons, including five children, is seeking alternative accommodation because their house is not habitable, Solomon said.
Julianna Darlington says the tenants- Pier Nedd and her two children- have since evacuated her house whose roof is virtually destroyed. "It's damaged badly because half of the roof is over on an empty lot and the other half just sink into the house," she told Demerara Waves Online News.
An overseas-based visitor, whose only name has been given as Carol, recalled seeing the tops of trees being blown off during the 10-minute ordeal. "It was all dark and the tops of coconut and other trees were just flipping off," she said. "It was quite scary," she said.
Unlike hurricane-resistant buildings in the Caribbean islands, structures in Guyana are not built to cater for very strong winds. Roofs that extend beyond outer walls provide a perfect opportunity to be lifted off by storms.
"It was a scary experience. Actually, for quite a while, we have been experiencing high winds and heavy rains," another resident added. "This was the worst- sheaths of rain with extremely high winds, trees bending to the ground. There were loud claps of thunder and sharp lightning. I was sure a hurricane had hit us," he said.
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