SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — Some residents of Queen and Cooke streets in Savanna-la-Mar have issued a passionate plea for urgent Government intervention and psychosocial support as the impact of Hurricane Melissa is now becoming too much for them to bear.

They say the rift between Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Central Dwayne Vaz and the councillor for the Savanna-la-Mar Division Julian Chang is also having an impact on the community’s recovery process.

According to the residents, while they have seen the councillor’s efforts to assist, they are yet to see Vaz more than one month after the storm. Both were elected on People’s National Party tickets.

Queen Street resident and president of the Cooke Street Benevolence Society Bishop Oneil Russell, who is also a trained counsellor, warned that the prolonged stress is taking a toll on residents’ mental health.

“What we need now is psychosocial support for the residents. Persons have lost everything. Persons blame themselves. They blame the elements. They blame the Government, and that angers them. So, each time you see somebody, and you speak to them, that anger, that level of anger, frustration…, because they are saying nothing is happening,” Russell told the Jamaica Observer during a visit to the community on Monday.

“I am asking the Ministry of National Security — [via] the [Citizen] Security Secretariat — please, let us get the counsellors out there now. I am a part of the trained team. I am a part of those who trained through the PFA [Psychological First Aid]. I am a counsellor by training, by profession. So therefore, I am asking the minister, I am asking through the Secretariat, please, mobilise your people now. Get the counsellors out there now. People are going crazy within the space. Every day you have arguments. Every day you have quarrels. People are frustrated. People don’t know what to do,” urged Russell.

He said the MP’s reputed lack of support is not helping.

“The MP has not passed through, not even for a day. You have not been here, MP Dwayne Vaz. He has not been through this community. And I’m not trying to belittle him. It’s what it is. I walk this community every day. I walk to other areas every day. He’s not coming through and I am saying to him, ‘The people elect you. Not because this area is a strong Jamaica Labour Party support area. We need to see you because the people elect you and people are here who support you. So, we need to see you’,” appealed Russell.

Efforts to get a response from Vaz were unsuccessful as calls to his phone went unanswered on Tuesday. But according to Russell, the root of the problem is tension between Vaz and Chang.

“They are not seeing eye to eye and because the councillor lives within this area, that is a problem that is happening with the MP and the councillor. So people are being sabotaged because they are not on speaking terms. We have to do something different. Just not go into Parliament and say all kinds of things and it’s not true,” stated Russell.

His claim was supported by Cooke Street resident Amos Hines.

“We feel neglected to know seh wi have a MP and wi can’t see him. It is just the councillor wi ah see. Every day, ah the councillor ah carry things come ah wi foot,” stated Hines, who also complimented Russell for his hard work in trying to get assistance for the community and Project STAR (Social Transformation and Renewal).

According to Russell, the area has suffered widespread losses, including the total collapse of his church — the Ark of the Covenant Apostolic Church, where the Benevolence Society operated its office. Certificates and trophies for work done by the society were also damaged.

The area covered by the society includes the communities of Cooke Street, Coke Street, Lower Darling Street, and Queen Street in the parish capital Savanna-la-Mar, which was hard-hit by the Category Five storm.

“After the collapse of the church, everything was destroyed. Everything, all our documentation, even records from my certificate from the university, were destroyed… I’ve lost everything at the church compound. I mean everything, everything destroyed, both in the office and outside of the office,” stated Russell.

The storm, which also severely impacted the fishing village and surrounding areas, left many people without roofs, furniture, or basic necessities.

While residents are hoping for some form of assistance to put together the pieces of their lives, some have gone ahead and tried to help themselves by putting a temporary roof over their heads.

However, Russell said frustration is mounting among those who have been told by Social Development Commission and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) that they will not receive assistance if their homes have been repaired since the storm.

“This practice should never be, where they are telling you if you fix your roof, you cannot be assisted. Remember, the roof tore off people’s property. The furniture was destroyed. People’s beds were destroyed. Telling them that they cannot get help if they don’t have a tarpaulin, that’s absurd. That should never, ever, cross the mind of anybody. And that’s what they come inside this community… telling people, ‘If you don’t have a tarpaulin, you cannot get support’. And it hurts me,” bemoaned the clergy man.

He said he got the information first-hand.

“It’s not a rumour, it was told to me. It’s a good thing my house up there, tarpaulin is on it. All the rooms were covered with tarpaulin. It’s really concerning to me, to know that people would have to go through that process. And that is now also adding more stress, adding more salt to injury and we cannot allow that,” argued Russell.

Cooke Street resident Donna Robinson lost the roof of her house, which was severely damaged. She noted that while they have been getting assistance with food, help is needed to rebuild.

“It reaches a point where it is not about the food. We just need a roof and help to get back our structure up intact. We just need some help,” pleaded Robinson.

She said while she has seen the NIS representatives, she has mixed feelings about whether help will come her way.

“We don’t see that coming because we don’t see any MP coming around. From the storm until now I don’t see no MP, only the councillor,” she told the
Observer.

Some residents of Queen and Cooke streets in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland are alleging that they have not seen their MP Dwayne Vaz (foreground) since the passage of Hurricane Melissa more than one month ago.