Mayaro MP, Winston "Gypsy" Peters has called for better disaster preparedness measures to be implemented so that victims may be effectively assisted. Peters made the call yesterday as he visited his constituents at Mahabalsingh Branch Trace, Navet Village, Rio Claro, whose roofs were blown off during gusty winds and heavy rains over the weekend.
As he stood in the yard of a house belonging to Cecil Persad, Peters painted a grim picture of the nation's disaster relief system. "The day we have a real disaster in this country we are in trouble," he said, as he looked at a section of Persad's roof which was blown off and remained lodged in the branches of a nearby tree. Persad's family of 11 was forced to move most of their furniture and appliances to the home of a neighbour. What could not be moved was covered with sheets of tarpaulin and stored in the driest areas of the house.
Peters said, "This is a farming community and people depend on their gardens to live. "If our agencies cannot handle these isolated cases properly, what would happen to us if something worse happens? "We have to look for all the help we can find and the system has to kick in to bring relief." A short distance away, Vishnu Ramkissoon had placed two sheets of tarpaulin where his roof used to be. He said his daughter's CXC text books and all her note books were destroyed when the roof blew off and the rains poured into the house. "It will be difficult to get back on our feet because school is opening just now and we have to try to replace everything that was lost," Ramkissoon said.
