Guyana appealed to the international community on Thursday to send food, boats, power generators and water pumps to help thousands of its inhabitants forced from their homes by the worst floods in more than a century.
President Bharrat Jagdeo's government made the appeal to diplomats in Georgetown after declaring the capital and outlying areas disaster zones, government officials said.
In the heaviest rains to hit the South American state in more than 100 years, at least one person drowned and thousands more were sheltering in schools and churches to escape flood waters that swamped Georgetown and settlements to the east and west on the Atlantic coast.
A Brazilian military plane was due to fly in a donation of 16 tonnes of food on Thursday, Brazil's embassy said.
Guyana's army was helping to distribute food to flood victims, using boats to reach areas cut off by the water.
The U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, which was closed earlier this week because of the floods, said it was allowing the voluntary evacuation of non-essential personnel and families.
It warned Americans who chose to stay that the floods had disrupted power and traffic and police had reported thieves were taking advantage of the floods to try to rob motorists.
