And while there is better than expected news from Fruta Bomba tonight, yesterday, there was hell to pay at the Corozal Civic Center. The Civic Center is the main distribution point for basic provisions in the Corozal area. Supplies should have gone out yesterday and there were long lines of residents waiting for basic rations. But the operation was shut down - either by NEMO or the Deputy Prime Minister - who is the Corozal Bay area representative. Both politics and personalities came into play and now we'll look at what happened yesterday and show you what we found when we visited today.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
This is what happened yesterday when the UDP Town Council was trying to help bag supplies to be handed out by the Ministry of Human Development at the Corozal Civic Center.
Hilberto Campos, Mayor
"We had a very unfortunate incident yesterday. The Councilors went into the Civic Center to help NEMO distribute the food. Unfortunately when they reached there, they had nothing packed. So all that they did was to start fixing up the rations. People were waiting in the line for three hours in the sun and
unfortunately the Deputy Prime Minister reached and ordered the council out of the place and all that they were doing was helping. The people afterwards were ordered to leave because they still didn't get anything. They still didn't hand out any rations to the people of Corozal. This morning there were lines formed from eight o'clock. The rations were not prepared as yet. If they had accepted the help that my councilors were giving, probably we would have received some."
Jules Vasquez,
You can see or do you recognize any merit in what the Deputy Prime Minister is saying, that politicians need to stay out of the relief package distribution because it politicizes it?
Hilberto Campos,
"Of course my friend but I would like to remind you that we are not here to serve a political party. I am the Mayor of Corozal Town. I am not the Mayor of the UDP. I was elected under the slate but I am representing the people of Corozal."
Hon. Vildo Marin, Deputy Prime Minister
"Politics as usual okay. The Mayor is the deputy chairman of this very very important organization, DEMO. We have been calling meetings since June and he has not attended those meetings. If he had been attending the meetings, he would have understood the way in which DEMO is structured, who is responsible for what and at what time. In no way in the plans is the Corozal Town Council Mayor or Deputy Mayor or a politician is involved in the actual distribution of the food."
Jules Vasquez,
Mayor do you accept that the Town Council should stay out of the business of feeding people because that operationally, I understand that is the plan? You all should clean up the streets and then after that your business is done.
Hilberto Campos,
"Do you really think that me and my crew are supposed to only clean the streets? If it wasn't for us, people wouldn't have gotten help. I want you to be in my place and to receive a hundred people a day begging you for food, begging you for anything that you can assist them with. That is my duty and I am going to live up to it. That is my responsibility, to serve the people. I was elected for that, not for a political party. I am not serving a political party, I am serving the people of Corozal. So how are you going to tell me that I receive a hundred people a day begging me to eat something or to have something to sleep under. Do you really think would take out my time and go clean the streets and tell them no, I don't have time for that, that is not my responsibility, my responsibility is to clean the streets? Come on. You can't be serious."
Today the line today extended form the Civic Centre to the street. Families with small children waited for hours - some say they had been there as many as five hours when we got there at 11:00 am.
Woman #1,
"I came yesterday morning. I put down my name and everything and I went home, I went to get a bottle like this because they told me they would
give me water. So I went home for a bottle and when I came back they said that they are not giving anything again so I came back this morning. I came back here this morning about 6 o'clock. I met about three or four persons here and they sent me to Ranchito. I went to Ranchito and came back. They didn't give me anything there so I came back here and I am still waiting."
Woman #2,
"My husband is a fisherman and he can't go to fish because the sea is rough right now and I need the food and all kind of things because my bed and my things got wet and I need other things. I am pregnant and I don't have any money or anything for baby."
Hon. Vildo Marin,
"Certainly we are making an assessment using the civil servants to ensure that those that are most in need are the ones that get the help and those that just want to take advantage of the situation, do not take advantage."
Man #1,
"I believe everybody needs because the little of food that we have home, that's not enough so the more you can get the better."
Jules Vasquez,
So even though you have food at home, you as a father and as a provider, you feel a need that you need to get more because of the certain future?
Man #1,
"Yes because I work at the Free Zone and there are no jobs right now so when that food done, where will I get money so its best I come to get a little bit more that the government is giving. So I don't know why the Minister is saying that we don't need. Everybody needs."
Hon. Vildo Marin,
"Its only three days after the storm. I know, I understand, people are impatient and they want it like yesterday."
Jules Vasquez,
The rough answer to that would be well you don't have nothing to worry about. Your bread is buttered on two sides and you have the knife as well. That's what those in greatest need would say, honestly.
Hon. Vildo Marin,
"But honestly that's not true. Certainly as the area representative, but also as the Chairman of DEMO, which is responsible for all of this organization for the district, I have to worry. I have to worry. It is my nature to worry."
Woman #3,
"Everybody needs. Because of the hurricane you always need help but like me, my house fell down, a big tree fell on my house. I asked for help. I asked a person who worked with the Minister and what did they tell us, a house is not needed now. I have three kids and my three kids are very sick. Just now I came from the hospital. I need my house. I can't live everyday with my husband's family. I am here because I really need to put this on TV to make them help the people who need it and I need my house. I very need my house. I am not telling them to build me a cement house but at least donate some plywood or zincs for us and to make them please go to Calcutta and see what they are doing right there because no help is going to Calcutta."
Jules Vasquez,
I was the Civic Center just now, the line there is awesome. The sun is hot, people have been there three hours, five hours, and they are saying that they are excluding them because they are from villages, so many needs, and only one place is distributing right now. What do you have to say to those people who've been in lines for hours and who feel that they are not being dealt with urgently?
Hon. Vildo Marin,
"The Corozal District is very big as you know. It is divided by zones, so many villages in every zone and some villages or most villages have already been attended to and those villages that have not been attended to, will be attended to today. But we cannot have a situation where people will take advantage and come from a village to town or come to a village from town to collect double rations if you will."
Jules Vasquez,
Vildo I've been on the street, I've been at Civic Center, people aren't happy.
Hon. Vildo Marin,
"Okay, well. Well if people are not happy, what can I do? We are trying our very best. Given the circumstances, we are doing everything that we can."
And today the doors did open at around 11:30 and that best was good enough for Gulaberto Balam from Consejo.
Jules Vasquez
Are you satisfied with what you got?
Gulaberto Balam,
"Well yes because I think that everybody will get satisfied with this amount."
Jules Vasquez,
How long should this last?
Gulaberto Balam,
"I don't know but it could sustain us for a little two or three days."
Jules Vasquez,
So after the storm were very much in need of assistance?
Gulaberto Balam,
"Oh yes. Yes sir because the place. I can tell you every thing was gone."
The sack of provisions should last a week. The names of recipients are logged by staff from the Department of Human Development.
