Help coming for Tredegar Park residents
Published:Thursday | August 19, 2010 | 12:00 AM
THE GOVERNMENT is mobilising several agencies to provide immediate assistance to the residents of Tredegar Park, St Catherine, who are struggling to cope with the impact of a conflict that has left more than 30 people dead over the past seven years.
Daryl Vaz, minister with responsibility for information and special projects, visited the community yesterday and promised the battle-weary residents that help was on the way.
"What I have learnt from this visit is that there are a number of people in the community who were affected in previous attacks who have received no assistance," Vaz told journalists as he completed a tour of the community.
"I have put the SDC (Social Develop-ment Commission) in charge and I'm going to ask other agencies to assist," he added.
Vaz announced that the Ministry of Education is to conduct an assessment of the Tredegar Park Primary School to see what needs to be done to have it ready for September, while the Ministry of Water and Housing is to look at the houses which were firebombed or otherwise damaged during the conflict.
Immediate response
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is also to provide assistance to the families who will now have to bury their dead.
"Food For The Poor will be coming tomorrow because it can react immediately and quickest to the infrastructure needs of these people," said Vaz.
"We are talking about an immediate response, a short-term and a medium-term response because this is not a quick-fix situation, and the people have been affected in many different ways."
The government minister described the situation in Tredegar Park as heart-rending and frightening.
"When you listen to the people and the stories that they tell you about how they have been living in fear for many, many years ... ," he lamented, shaking his head.
"They don't sleep at nights. The children have been crying since Friday and this looks like something that you will see in war-torn countries around the world."
Vaz promised the residents that the Government has heard their cries, which have been louder since Friday, and is determined to address the situation.
"The prime minister is off the island and he might come here when he returns because we accept that this is a situation that cannot continue," he declared.