More than 200 volunteers from the Jamaica Red Cross have been busy since the passage of Hurricane Sandy offering assistance to those who were affected.
“Volunteers are currently helping with material such as tarpaulin, blankets and other supplies. Our major concerns were observed in the parishes of Portland, St Mary, St Thomas, and pockets of St Catherine and Clarendon,” Lois Hue, deputy director general at the Jamaica Red Cross, told The Gleaner yesterday.
“One such area was Portland, as there were 248 people in 20 shelters across the parish who had not returned home because, according to my source on the ground, 80 per cent of the houses has damage to their roofs. People in the Fruitful Vale area have also been marooned due to downed trees and poles in the road,” she added.
Hue said volunteers from her organisation were also helping to educate residents about how to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
“We will be distributing materials, trying to educate the people on this matter. They should eliminate all mosquito-breeding sites and clean up the areas where water would settle such as drums, old tyres and gullies,” she pointed out.
‘[In] Portland, … there were 248 people in 20 shelters across the parish who had not returned home because … 80 per cent of the houses has damage to their roofs.’
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