Carisa Lee
A Diego Martin family will receive a $25,000 grant for material from the National Commission for Self Help (NCSH) as early as today to start repairs to the part of their house which collapsed during a thunderstorm on Monday.
“I was lying down watching TV reading up on the three kids who get burnt. The lightening, real rain thunder and just so the last thunder I heard is when I heard the whole thing collapse in the back,” resident Jalene Neverson said.
Her children were not a home at the time. “I run outside, I fell,” she added
When Guardian Media visited, all that remained were broken blocks from what seemed to be the walls of their kitchen covered in galvanized from the collapsed roof.
“I was real frighten…We sleep on the bed you know the door open in case we have to run out but other than that I just feeling traumatized and depressed and stressed right now,” she said holding back the tears.
Yesterday,, less than 24 hours after the incident the Factory Road resident received a visit from the Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox, to whom she admitted that her home was not very sturdy before Monday’s incident.
Neverson said, “Since last year the back of the house next to the drain was undermining so I went into social help and am asked for assistance or whatever so I still waiting on that but this is just a disaster right now.”
Nevertheless, the minister and her team opted to help Neverson who lost her job last year due to the pandemic and said the added stress is too much to handle at this time.
She lives in Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s constituency.
“The Prime Minster was very concerned about what has happened here today and that’s why we are here the Member of Parliament for the area he alerted us and that is why we are here,” Cox said.
Apart from the grant, the resident who lived at the location for the last ten years will also receive hampers from the Social Development Ministry as well as assistance from Habitat for Humanity.
“They will also come and see what they can do... We also will bring some hampers some food stuff for them later today,” Cox said.
Neverson will also receive household items and psychosocial support from the ministry.
Cox said they will also assist the distressed Diego Martin resident to attain a deed of comfort once feasible as the goal is to get the family back living comfortably.