Committee to Seek Help for Tropical Storm Victims

The St. James Parish Disaster Preparedness Committee, is in the process of seeking help for three families, who were severely affected by heavy winds and flooding, resulting from Tropical Storm Gustav, which lashed sections of the island recently.
The families, numbering about eight persons, and residing in Pear Tree, Niagra, Maize Land in Catadupa and Spring Mount, all in South Eastern St. James, lost their dwelling houses during the passage of the tropical storm.
Some of the structures, which were still standing after the storm, were demolished by recent heavy winds and torrential rains, which triggered further land slippages and mud slides.
Disaster Preparedness Co-ordinator for St. James, Amanda Thompson, told JIS News, that these residents, who were the last to leave shelters in the worst affected areas, are currently residing with family members and friends.
“The Committee is now preparing to approach some relief organisations and selected businesses across the parish and wider country, to see how we can acquire help for these persons, in order for them to re-build their dwellings in safer areas that are not flood prone. They are at the moment, very despondent and distraught, and long to return to their own living situations. Every effort will be made to address their needs in short order,” Mrs. Thompson said.