Hanover Parish Council Freeing Shelters for the Reopening of Schools

The Hanover Parish Council is working to return shelter seekers to their homes or other safe accommodation, to facilitate the re-opening of schools in the parish.
A total of 28 institutions in the parish were used as emergency shelters during the passing of Hurricane Ivan, and these comprise 19 primary and all-age, three secondary and six basic schools.
Secretary Manager of the Hanover Parish Council, Alfred Graham, told JIS News, that while the Council was working with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture to free the schools for the resumption of classes, six institutions were still being occupied and would not be able to reopen before next week.
These are Lucea, Middlesex and Esher Primary; Cacoon and Maryland All-Age; and Bethel Primary and Junior High schools. He said that Esher Primary School posed the biggest problem as up to Monday (Sept.13), some 148 persons were still occupying that institution.
He noted that personnel from the Parish Council and the Red Cross were conducting assessments of persons still in the shelters, with a view to identifying their needs. “We are at this time focusing on delivering food supplies to those persons who are still in shelters, but of concern to us are the schools that are being used as shelters. We have at least six schools that are still being used as shelters,” he informed.
Mr. Graham, who is also coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre in that parish, told JIS News, that some of the persons were reluctant to leave because their houses were either severely damaged or totally destroyed and they had nowhere else to go.
Meanwhile, he said, foodstuffs have been released to the parish from Food For the Poor and these supplies would be distributed starting today (Sept.15).