And the flooding would only have made it worse for an elderly Belize City woman living in the Lake Independence Area. Tonight, she is resting a lot more comfortably in a new home, which was donated by the Belize City Council. Mayor Bernard Wagner. He collaborated with several private sector partners to build a new home for Oriemay Evans. For years, she had been living in a broken-down wooden house that was overdue to fall at any moment.
The Mayor and his team happened to find out about her distress just in time, and with the help of several corporate citizens, a new home was built for her.
7News attended the official handover today. Here's what the Mayor and the recipient of this donation had to say:
Bernard Wagner - Mayor, Belize City Council "Again, collaborative effort on behalf of the city, myself and the city council, the Belize Bank, Golden Bay as well as Bennys Home Depot. Walking in this area, we saw this elderly woman living in this deplorable condition and I said to myself, I had to do something to improve her living conditions, was quick on the phone with those relationships that I have developed over the years and everyone came onboard and today we have the end results. Brand new home valued at over 24 thousand dollars, that's what it cost us and it's a well-built home, so we feel very good about the project. We are able to get some of the materials through Bennys and Golden Bay, Belize Bank did a monetary contribution to it as well and the quarry did the land fill, so when you look at what was here before, you can appreciate what has been achieved.
Oriemay Evans - Received a New Home "Whenever time it rained everything get wet up, when the breeze blows the house rock like rocking chair, so it makes you afraid to sleep when hard weather. I was getting tired of it because you can't sleep at night, you're afraid to sleep, you're afraid to do anything in the house, you're afraid even to walk, even to use the bathroom because you're afraid you drop through. When they came, they examined the house and they said I will see what I can do for you, so the next day he sends his men them and they examine the house. So, when they gone back, they said the house is beyond repair, they have to take down the house. So, they gone back and tell the mayor the house can't repair, you need a new one, a week afterwards they come and start to take down the house and here is where I am now."
Daniel Ortiz "Did you expect that you would get so quick results?"
Oriemay Evans "No, because as usual everybody promises and promise, I wasn't really looking out for it because too much promises ended unfulfilled. So, when I really feel the action, I said what, I the get my house."
