By Sue-Ann Wayow
MEMBER of Parliament for St Augustine Khadijah Ameen is pleading with the government to expedite the distribution of grants to be given to flood victims before Christmas.
In a media release on Tuesday, Ameen called on Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox to distribute grants to residents of Bamboo Settlement #2, Realspring Valsayn, Spring Village and St Augustine South, who were badly affected by flooding by the late November/early December floods.
She is asking for the ministry’s disaster relief grant, food support grant, clothing and uniform grants for the constituents.
Ameen said most, if not all of the flood victims have already been assessed by ministry officials and other supporting agencies in the time since the flooding.
And while she and local government councillors Seema Ramsaran-Augustine and Richard Rampersad have gone above and beyond to facilitate those assessments, and to provide relief such as cleaning supplies, mattresses and basic food hampers in the interim, “Christmas for the flood victims will be very dark literally and figuratively as some homes have electrical, and other infrastructure damages, and residents have lost all their furniture and appliances.
Some flood victims were unemployed, under employed, or live on minimum wage and even those who do not, face tremendous expenses to repair their homes and replace damaged items and as such the food support by way of food cards, as well as other grants will make a huge difference in the recovery, the MP stated.
Ameen said she remained available to work with the Minister of Social Development and Family Services to facilitate speedy disbursement of disaster relief and other grants as well as the Ministry of Works and Transport for urgent remedial work on the river banks, floodgates, and pumps to prevent a reoccurrence of flooding of that magnitude in the constituency.
