Flood-hit Port Maria vendors get help

PORT MARIA, St Mary:

After being ravaged by flood rains on February 1, vendors occupying shops at the Port Maria Arcade in St Mary have received cheques from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) as part of a relief effort by the Government to help them to restart their businesses.

The cheques, valued between $30,000 and $60,000, depending on the severity of the damage and loss suffered, were handed out to some vendors and homeowners by Minister of Labour Karl Samuda during a handover ceremony on Tuesday at the Bus Park in Port Maria.

Among the recipients was Safiya Hamilton, a single mother who was among the first persons to be engaged in the cleaning up of the arcade where she operates a clothes store and also sells non-perishable food items.

“Today I am really happy for the assistance provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which will definitely allow me to purchase goods and to also continue repair work on my shop,” she said.

“The truth is, I never expected that I would be getting any form of assistance and, therefore, I am very thankful for this help. I lost approximately $650,000 worth of goods during the flooding in February, and things have not been the same since. As a single mother, I too have my challenges, but I will spend this money wisely as there is a definite need for me to get back on my feet. Before today, I really didn’t know what was going to happen.

“It took me four days to clean my shop of mud and debris, and I did it single-handedly. After the flood, I just started working, as I have no other means of supporting myself and my child. All I wanted to do was just to get the water and mud out of the way, so that I could get my business back up and running. I lost a fridge and all the goods that I received during the Christmas holiday. After the flood, I was right back to square one,” she added.

According to Hamilton, it was a rather painful experience during the flooding, as she lost barrels of clothing and a freezer was also damaged.

Others like Saffia Nelson, who operates a restaurant, explained that it was the second time that she was being affected by flooding, but that the morning of February 1 was the worst experience for her, as she lost food, utensils, and a refrigerator during the heavy rains, which inundated the entire arcade area.

“It’s a good thing to finally see some assistance coming our way, as I never really expected to get any help,” she said.

BACK ON MY FEET

“The structure was damaged and water rose more than three feet. I could not save anything at all. I lost several bags of rice, flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, fruits, vegetables, and I suffered damage to furniture and electrical appliance, including a refrigerator. I will be able to buy some goods and it will go a far way in getting me back on my feet. We already suffered a huge decline in sales due to COVID-19, and this flood basically crippled our livelihood,” she added.

Only a few vendors and homeowners were handed cheques during the ceremony, with the remainder of those persons scheduled to receive their cheques at a later date, as according to the MLSS, the number of recipients were far too large for the handout to take place in a day.

For his part, Samuda said that the flooding painted a dim picture of the conditions faced by the vendors, which paved the way for the MLSS to respond in a timely manner.

“When the reports came in for the condition that those who came here saw, we knew that we had to move and move quickly,” he said.

“It’s no use telling people that you have resources to help them and when the time comes to give it to them, it takes forever. I don’t believe in that and if I’m having a fuss in the ministry, it is about the length of time it takes, from the time the request is made and the time the monies are delivered. We have responded quickly and we are out her to see it done,” he added.

The minister also commended the work being done by social workers, who he said are really the backbone of the MLSS, as according to him, they are the ones that interface and visit to see to the accuracy of the requests that are made by those seeking assistance for damage.

Earlier, Member of Parliament for Central St Mary Dr Morais Guy expressed thanks to Samuda and his ministry for honouring their commitment made in February. According to Guy, persons whose livelihood and economic activities were disrupted by the flooding are now getting some well-needed assistance.

Mayor of Port Maria Richard Creary urged the vendors to see how best they can use the money to restart their businesses, while urging them not to engage in purchasing hairstyles, false eyelashes, and other personal enhancements.

“Use this money you are receiving to replace the stock in your business and to replace those items in your homes. Nuh badda tek it go buy nuh pretty clothes and all kind a foolishness. In some instance it might be less than what you lost, but I’m sure that it is better than nothing at all. Don’t take it for granted, put it to good use,” he advised.

gareth.davis@gleanerjm.com