The family of Melan “June” Salvary has extended hearts of gratitude and thanks to the T&T Government for standing the full expenses of the repatriation process of her body and the body of her three-year-old grandson, Oliver Robert Doyle Gedio.
“We are very grateful that we are finally getting some closure,” Salvary’s sister, Emily Pasqual, said yesterday in an interview with the T&T Guardian.
“My sister will finally be returning home and I thank every one who helped us in our time of need,” she added.
The relative added that they can now “breathe relief” and focus on preparing for a funeral.
Salvary along with her grandson and other relatives were in their home at French Quarter, St Maarten last week Tuesday during Hurricane Irma when the house began to fall apart due to the strong winds and heavy downpour of rain.
Salvary while holding Gedio in her arms attempted to run to a closely house of another relative when she and her grandson were swept away by a massive wave that came up from sea.
During yesterday’s post-Cabinet media conference, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, said the Government of T&T heard the plea for help in bringing the bodies back home.
“We are going to make all attempts to facilitate that,” Young said.
He added that both the bodies would be removed from St Maarten to Antigua and then to Trinidad.
“We will have the bodies removed from St Maarten to Antigua. We will be reaching out to the Government of Antigua through diplomatic channels of communications to then see if they can assist in getting the bodies back home from Antigua to T&T,” he said.
“Please, again accept our great sympathy and condolences. The Government is going to make all efforts to assist the family in terms of getting the bodies back to T&T,” Young said. See Page A10
