Samaritans helping Weise Road residents to rise from floods

Since weather systems caused the Chalky River to overflow its banks and dump mounds of silt into her yard as it flooded Weise Road in Bull Bay, St Andrew, in late October, Marsha Smart and her family have been relying on the charity of Good Samaritans.

Tropical Storms Eta and Zeta left the family of 14 trying to salvage clothes and furniture from the silt and debris washed into their home.

Although weeks have rolled by, Smart and her family are still getting much-needed assistance as they try to recover from the disaster.

As part of their Christmas outreach, the Mamby Park Baptist Church is making plans to assist Smart and her family with their recovery. They have also launched a fund specifically to help the residents of Weise Road.

Additionally, a group of Jamaican friends in the United States, who have been following her progress since the incident, have committed to sending two barrels for the family, with some of the contents to be shared with others in need.

Last Wednesday, the thanks and praises continued to ring out for Smart as a group of friends pooled their resources and donated a stove.

One of the friends said that with Christmas approaching, their hearts would not have been at peace if they were unable to provide the stove for the family.

With the majority of the donors requesting to remain anonymous, Smart was grateful to God for all the assistance and wished that He would bring hope to others.

“We have our neighbours, too, who are affected and really in need of help … . It’s not only me, but other persons have lost as well,” she said, adding that as the donations of food and sanitary items come in, she prepares packages for her neighbours.

“At one point, somebody send me $22,000, and me use that, turn it over, and buy stuff and share it with them,” she told The Gleaner.

JDF , COMMUNITY HELPING

Smart and her husband, Tussan Smart, were grateful to the Jamaica Defence Force, which had roughly 20 soldiers helping in the clean-up process. Their efforts were complemented by the help of community members.

The mud-stained walls were washed and repainted by members of the Harbour View Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and windows and doors were donated and replaced by community persons.

Tussan recalled the family climbing out through a window on the morning of the flood.

“When we a go through the window, one a bawl say, ‘Don’t drown! Wifey a faint pan me.’ … . It was something else to remember,” he said.

The four-bedroom house was covered with silt, mud, and debris as the river rushed through their yard. Of the four devices that the children were rotating for online schooling, only two were spared. Fortunately, the church has stepped in and provided an iPad for the children to use.

The family has also been receiving assistance to try and revive furniture that is still useful along with donations of beds, a chest of drawers, a night table, paint, and clothes. They are, however, still without a refrigerator and have been storing clothes in garbage bags.

Smart also had praises for Vauxhall High School, where her daughter is a student, as they have also been pitching in to smooth over the rough the time.

She made our news team aware of the plight of Victoria Johnson, who could not stop crying because of her living conditions since the incident.

“Right now, I don’t even have what to hot little water on, not even what to drink little ice water from. Nothing,” said the 72-year-old as tears streamed down her face when The Gleaner visited her.

She has been depending on her neighbour to give her a cup of tea and dinner if she gets home from work early. She has also been getting parcels from Smart and a few others.

After saying that she has been fainting frequently, the hypertensive and diabetic patient shared that sometimes all she consumed for the entire day was a cup of coffee, followed by a cold drink later on.

“I don’t have no cash to do nothing. For what I lose, I can’t buy nothing. I have no one. Mi family dem dead out. A me alone,” said Johnson.

jonielle.daley@gleanerjm.com