Govt continuing to assist victims of City fire

Work is apace to assist the more than three dozen fire victims displaced as a result of the May 5 fire at Wellington Street, MP for the City Corey Lane revealed on Wednesday.

He told reporters that efforts are now afoot to clear the area where 16 houses were impacted by the massive blaze and authorities have begun to assess the rebuilding of houses in the area.

“This morning, I left people giving quotes for the cleaning of it, the SSA started [clean up]. the BTI [Barbados Tourism Investment Inc.] was there and UDC [Urban Development Commission] is looking at the rebuilding already,” he told reporters.

Following the blaze, the government had provided emergency accommodation at the Savannah Hotel and Golden Sands Hotel, but Lane said they have since been relocated.

“Thanks to the Ministry of Housing, they’ve been rehoused on White Park Road…. The Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, their Reintegration Unit has housed the others at the Labour College where they’ve been given the food and different housing and things that they need until their properties can be repaired. Even those with small damage, heat damage, they’ve seen some assistance,” he said.

The MP expressed satisfaction that the process has been going smoothly, noting that fire victims often have to languish for a while because of bureaucracy.

“I want to commend the agencies for working fast,” he said. “They [displaced residents] call me all the time and they tell me, ‘you know, we are grateful for the pace that we are moving at’ in relation to getting all of them back to some level of normalcy.”