Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter
Less than three weeks after the passage of hurricanes Emily and Dennis, residents of Zion in Trelawny are still struggling to put back their lives together. - PHOTOS BY CLAUDINE HOUSEN
WESTERN BUREAU:
RESIDENTS OF Zion in Trelawny, who were flooded out of their homes during the recent passage of Hurricane Emily, are demanding immediate relocation instead of new drains as the solution to the problem they now face.
"We need to get relocation very fast; if we get it I would really appreciate it," said Charmaine Innis, a resident of Zion. "We still no come back to normal and we can't come back to normal; every time rain fall wi fret."
A low-lying community located about 10 to 15 metres from the newly-constructed North Coast Highway, Zion suffered a severe battering from Emily, forcing its residents to seek refuge in the William Knibb High School.
Citing what she feels may be neglect on the part of the Government, Ms. Innis and fellow residents called on Finance Minister Omar Davies to make good on his promise to assist them in their relocation bid.
"He came here about a week after the flooding and he said that he was going to relocate the people and from that day we have not heard anything about it," said Ms. Innis. "We no want no hush-hush, we want to know when we a go over deh; if not, we a go over deh and chap dung and put up (houses) 'cause we nah stay inna dis."
Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Jonathan Bartley says that it is now high time for the necessary government bodies to do something about the situation at Zion which is costing the parish council "money that it does not have" when it rains.
"It is costing the state what it does not have to be taking care of 500 people in a shelter at any one time," he said.
"It is a situation that has been going on for a while. The (Government) needs to put its foot down. We (the parish council) have the area down as a flood-prone area and have asked that no one live there," Mr. Bartley continued. "We had asked the Member of Parliament (Patrick Harris) to have dialogue with the Ministry of Land and Environment to find a suitable place, and it is sad they let it get this far. They need to stop playing politics with people's lives."
