By Bill W. Cooper
Several flood victims from the Borough of New Kru Town yesterday, July 14, 2020 received some food and non-food items including rent payment and cash from President George M. Weah office through the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).
Those items given include 25kg rice, cooking oil, mattress, the paying of affected residents house rent for the period of one year and cash to enable them establish their own businesses, as over 217 household were seen jubilating with their own share of the President’s gesture.
Recently, several homes in Kru Town got severely destroyed by a sea erosion thus leaving several residents homeless, at which time some called on the government through President Weah office to help in relocating them.
Presenting the items, the NDMA Executive Director, Henry O. Williams said the items given yesterday was President Weah first bold initiative intended to ease the burden on affected residents of the Borough, as they await the more concrete interventions that will be made available in subsequent time.
Mr. Williams said that the President Weah short term intervention will cover over 47 communities as well as seeking to target over 6750 households thus totaling approximately 38,750 affected person from flood, sea erosion and fire disaster in the country.
He added that the 18th Street in Sinkor community disaster that area witnessed a fallen wall killing 5 persons including a 2-week old baby. He said deceased family will also receive a cash of US$5,000 each as a means of consoling the deceased families.
Mr. William further assured the public that President Weah gesture is not only intended for New Kru Town but will instead, affect those who may have or will be affected by any disaster in the country, while at the same time lauded the residents of the Borough for their cooperation in ensuring transparency in the distribution process of the items.
In remarks, the Monrovia City Cooperation (MCC) Mayor, Jefferson Koijee and the Kru Town Representative, Dixon Seboe said the gesture given by President Weah only manifested his continuous aspiration in seeing that the well-being and safety of the country’s population are actualized, while at the same time urged the leadership of Kru Town to cooperatively work with the NDMA to ensure the affected residents receive their own share of the items.
Also speaking, some beneficiaries lauded the President for the initiative, adding that it came at the time when needed the most amidst the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
In a related development, the government through the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has launched the President Weah Disaster Response team dubbed “Presidential Disaster Response Program (PDRP)” geared towards the relocation and provision of shelter to who-be sea erosion, flood and fire victims among others in the country.