RJRGLEANER provides aid to St Bess residents affected by Beryl
Published:Monday | July 15, 2024 | 12:10 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Residents from several communities in St Elizabeth were treated to hot meals and relief supplies at the Black River High School as the RJRGLEANER Communications Group assisted persons heavily affected by Hurricane Beryl.
The initiative, which also included an outside broadcast and provision of a mobile charging station for electronic devices, was undertaken by the media group, alongside sponsors such as Mother’s Food Group, Spicy Hill Farms Limited, and Yummy Bakery.
Camala Smith, a resident of Brompton Lane near Black River, expressed gratitude for the assistance as her family seeks to recover from the Category 4 hurricane.
“During Hurricane Beryl, I could only observe my mother’s rooftop blowing off. Probably about two sheets of zinc are remaining on the rooftop at the moment, so we are really in need of help to give her a fresh start. At the time, she was staying by my house, so thanks be to God that she wasn’t in the dwelling when all of that happened,” Smith recounted.
She expressed gratitude for the relief effort.
Whitney Graham, a resident of nearby Luana, said she and several fellow residents were out to benefit from the meals and relief items after their community was slammed by Beryl.
“I was affected by road blockage as I was unable to make it out to work the first morning after the storm, but after a few hours, it was cleared. My roof was okay, just slightly lifted, but all the fruit trees in the yard were down,” Graham said.
“Receiving one of the care packages today would assist in a big way, getting a little of this and a little of that,” Graham added. “I feel good about this event, honestly, because in my area, there are a lot of persons who are in need of assistance, and I came here and saw a few of them, and I saw a lot of packages, so I guess everybody will be going home with something today.”
She said that although the residents want to rebuild quickly to recover from the disaster, funds were low.
St Elizabeth was among the worst-affected parishes when Beryl passed near the southern coast of Jamaica on July 3, knocking out power and disrupting communication channels as it ravaged infrastructure and properties.
The parish’s agricultural landscape has also been adversely affected.
Gary Allen, group senior executive for corporate and external affairs at the RJRGLEANER Communication Group, said that Sunday’s initiative may be replicated in other parishes that have been affected by Hurricane Beryl.
“Our group is well known for trying to assist after periods of disaster, and this is no different. We put in $1 million from a fund that we have received contributions from before, and we started with that, and then we got some corporate sponsors on board who were able to join us in providing meals. We started in Black River, and this is likely to happen in a couple of other parishes,” he said.