New Haven relief effort postponed amid COVID concerns
Published:Thursday | November 12, 2020 | 12:18 AM
The police had to be called in yesterday as an unruly crowd brought an abrupt end to an initiative to assist displaced residents of New Haven in St Andrew with care packages.
The initiative, which was being spearheaded by Food For The Poor Jamaica (FFTPJ), the Red Cross, the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation and the Ministry of Social Security, was discontinued as the angry crowd disregarded COVID-19 protocols despite the urgings of the organisers at the Edith Dalton James High School.
Kivette Silvera, executive at FFTP Jamaica, told The Gleaner that the charity saw the need after recent devastation by flood rains and sought to partner with other organisations to give some assistance to the residents.
“As part of the national response, Food For The Poor as well as the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Jamaica Red Cross, and the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation recognised the need in New Haven because of the flooding that is taking place,” Silvera said.
“We were trying to provide some relief to the citizens because we toured the community, and they are completely under water. The unfortunate thing is that when you hear that something is being distributed, then a lot of persons are going to converge on the scene.”
She said that they attempted to serve the elderly and children first, but as news travelled and the crowd swelled, the mission was aborted due to concerns over the size of the gathering and the possibility of a COVID-19 spread.
“We are going to take a different approach because we cannot afford to have anybody being exposed,” Silvera told The Gleaner.
The agency has been in the community since 9 a.m. yesterday morning.
A resident, who accompanied her mother to the school to collect a package, said she had been told by a neighbour that food stuff was being offered to all those who had been affected by the flooding.
“Mi deh home a wash and mi hear and come. My neighbour told me about it, but now I am here, mi hear say a only who did write down them name from weh day, but some of us weren’t here. I was at work,” she said.
Some other residents were not as concerned about food yesterday, worrying instead about not having a place to stay as their homes were either still inaccessible or had been extensively damaged by the flood.
“Right now mi can get food. That is not my troubles. I lose all of my furniture and belongings. I know is not their fault for the flood, but we need serious help,” one resident said.