St James residents encouraged to replace documents lost during Hurricane Beryl

Residents in St James who lost their documents, including IDs, during the passage of Hurricane Beryl are being encouraged to get replacements.

Chairman of the Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation and Safety Committee of the St James Municipal Corporation, Councillor Arthur Lynch, made the appeal at the committee's meeting on Thursday.

“If the person had a national voter's ID, he can always go to the electoral office and pay a fee of $2,000 and get back an ID within a month. As for the NIS, it's also easy. He can always go to the NIS office and he can pull his information and reprint that NIS number,” Lynch said.

However, he pointed out that the Tax Registration Number (TRN) may be sorted out after receiving a Voter's ID, as this requires either a birth certificate or a National ID.

Having an ID and TRN help verify the identity of individuals requesting assistance, ensuring that the benefits are distributed to the right people and preventing fraud.

These documentation are also critical for legal and financial accountability, as the Government needs to document who receives aid. This is important for audits and reports to ensure that public funds are used appropriately.

Meanwhile, Parish Manager, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Georgia Taylor, noted that some residents who require assistance are without a National Voter Identification card or a TRN.

She noted that the assessment team will still proceed with residents who may have lost the documents during the passage of Hurricane Beryl or may not have had any formal identification.

“I would have instructed my officers to still do the assessment and make a notation that these persons do not have an ID or a TRN,” Taylor said.

In some cases, residents have been able to use an old Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) ID in completing assessment forms.

Taylor requested Councillors in the municipality to educate constituents of the importance of having these documents.

“Please seek to educate again and inform. I know it is being done, but seek to speak with your constituents. It proves difficult for them to be able to benefit from what we are doing if they do not have these most important documents,” she said.

- JIS News

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