GEORGETOWN , Guyana - The U.S. government is rushing relief supplies to Guyana, the U.S. ambassador said Saturday, after heavy rains and flooding that have killed at least six people and displaced thousands of others.

Drainage pumps, food and other supplies were expected to arrive as early as next week, U.S. Ambassador Roland Bullen told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The Defense Force, meanwhile, was standing by to evacuate as many as 20,000 people from towns east of the capital, Georgetown, said Brig. Gen. Edward Collins, the army chief.

More than 40 inches of rain have fallen in the former British colony since Dec. 26, with more than 27 inches this month. About 8 inches is normal for January...