One week after a twister ripped through the village of Crooked Tree, NEMO rolled into the village today with its first delivery of relief supplies. On hand to receive the truck-load of construction materials were the Area Representative, Edmund Castro, Village Chairman George Guest, and the Village's Vice-Chairman Steve Anthony. The materials are intended to meet the immediate needs of the dozen families whose homes were damaged by the country's first Tornado on record. Castro says his government is trying to get the affected families back on track as quickly as possible, and that effort includes the delivery of a new Mennonite constructed home for one resident who suffered a total loss.
Edmund "Clear the Land" Castro - Area Representative, Belize Rural North
"The Person, Mr. Edward 'King' Westby, his house was totally destroyed. We are looking at tomorrow which is Saturday, the Mennonites will be delivering a brand new home for him. They will install it on his property, and that will be done tomorrow. He is the only person one that is getting a brand new house. The other 11 persons who suffered roof damage or damages to their property, we are in the process of delivering, as we speak today, some of the 2X4's, 4X4's, Plycem, and other materials. We still have some more materials that will be coming in to Crooked Tree, hopefully tomorrow, in terms of the metal roofing - the zinc and nails - so We, the Government, are doing our very best to get people right back on track to where they were, and even better than where they were, prior to the tornado of 2011."
Jim McFadzean
"Is this response by the Government enough for you as Chairman of this village?"
George Guess - Chairman, Crooked Tree Village Council
"Well, actually, there were 12 families who got affected. There was one that really was affected, which was Edward 'King' Westby. The Government's response was quick, very quick. And, like the Honorable Edmund Castro has said, it was passed on to me from the Prime Minister. It was put into Cabinet, through Cabinet, and back out, and within a week - it's not even a week yet, week tomorrow, that the tornado, which was a tornado because I called up my friend, and I confirmed that it was a tornado, and not a Vortex."
Jim McFadzean
"The materials that we see here right now, in the background, is this going to be enough to provide the necessary relief that was done by this twister?"
George Guess
"To their houses, yes, to their properties, no because a lot of people lost many cashew trees, and a lot of other fruit trees, and it's their livelihood. But the Government has brought in the cashew plants, and cocoanut plants. It's up to the people who have been devastated to replant them and refurbish what they have lost. The Government can't give them their money back, but they can give trees back, so that they can start all over again."
Jim McFadzean
"Has NEMO given you a figure of terms of the extent of the damages in terms of dollars?"
George Guess
"No, and I wouldn't like to ask them either, because that's not my responsibility. My responsibility is the people of this village, and NEMO has already reacted to that. The Prime Minister already reacted to that, so that is not a question to me. That's a question to the Government."
And while today's delivery of construction materials is no doubt a welcome relief for the affected families, there are other needs that NEMO is not in a position to provide.
Steve Anthony - Vice Chairman, Crooked Tree Village Council
"As soon as the tornado hit, the Village Council was around the village, and most of the people were in shock. It was the first time that a lot of us saw anything like that before. What their needs are? They're getting that, their getting their material needs as far as their spiritual needs, and their well-being, the whole village is here to help. I just want to echo what the Chairman said; I applaud the Government, NEMO, and the Area Representative, for their swift action. I personally didn't think it was going to happen this quickly, but tomorrow, Mary and King are going to be getting their house, and we'd just like to say 'respect'. I would also want to thank the young people in village that came out to help, because they will be out here again delivering the material."
And while NEMO was quick to respond to the relief effort, there ARE still no figures available as to the extent of the damage, financially. The Village Chairman says the distribution of the construction materials is expected to be completed within the next 24 hours.
