It's three full days after Hurricane Dean and Corozalenos have started to get some relief. It's not nearly enough for this district with over two dozen villages, many of them remote, but it is a start. This afternoon
villagers and townspeople lined up outside the Red Cross Office in Corozal Town when word went out that free provisions were being handed out.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
People are here for food.
Gloria Gilharry, Corozal Red Cross
"Right, they are here for food and we don't have enough food. This is the problem; enough food is not here."
Jules Vasquez,
How much food do you have, how much of these people can you help?
Gloria Gilharry,
"At the moment just one hundred. I have one hundred bags with food and that is all."
Jules Vasquez,
And what do you include in the bag?
Gloria Gilharry,
"The basics: flour, rice, beans, sugar, cooking oil, we have a large tin of milk, and baking power."
Jules Vasquez,
If I'm looking at this at home and I want to help, what should I help with, who should I send it to?
Gloria Gilharry,
"Well you can send it to here at the Red Cross Center."
Jules Vasquez,
And what do you all need specifically?
Gloria Gilharry,
"Basic food. Food is the basic need right now, which is flour, rice, sugar."
Jules Vasquez,
Vildo Marin told me earlier that a lot of people who come for things at the Civic Center are not those in truest need. How do you all make those kinds of assessments?
Gloria Gilharry,
"Well we personally, the Red Cross, we go out to different villages and we see. But at this time, at this point in time, it is not only people without roof and so on. There are so many people without a job, a big industry here is the papaya and they were all called and told not to report back to the job. They come in here crying, they have no food, no nothing to eat or to drink, they can't cook for the day because no money, no job, so that's a need right there."
Jules Vasquez,
So you can't be discriminating between need, everybody has a need.
Gloria Gilharry,
"Everybody has a need. Right, everybody."
Jules Vasquez,
Miss Gilharry, some of these people you'll have to turn away.
Gloria Gilharry,
"I know, in a while some that are out here will definitely have to go home; definitely have to go home and that won't take no less than maybe another hour. I will just have to come out here and shout that its finished, its over, and we don't have anymore - come back tomorrow."
Jules Vasquez,
And as an aid worker, that has to hurt.
Gloria Gilharry,
"I know it really hurts. I am here standing and I don't have half of my roof home. I just get up in the morning, run out here, in the night I am back in there, find a little corner to sleep, and back again in the morning here so its very hard. It hurts my heart when I come and see the kids out here. This morning we handed out little bags of water because they were sweating, thirsty, and hungry. Its hurtful."
Jules Vasquez,
They only have one hundred sacks and most of the people in this line won't get and you are probably one of them.
Hurricane Victim,
"Well if we can't get, hopefully tomorrow we could get a next one."
Jules Vasquez,
How needy are you?
Hurricane Victim,
"Well I need but if anybody else could get and they need, well don't give me."
