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A Panorama Of Ruin In The Yabra Area
posted (October 27, 2010)
And now that the storm related jaguar - attack is behind us, the human catastrophe arising from Hurricane Richard is just starting to unfold in a diversity of morbid symptoms - foremost among them are shortages of essential supplies for families in southside Belize City who lost virtually everything in the storm.

This morning Andrea Polanco went to the Yabra Community center where folks were lining up for clothing donations - where she found the mood was bitter and fed up….

Indira Arnold, Yarborough Resident
"We need water, we need clothes and we need food too, groceries and things like that because all they are doing so far are making us write down our name and nobody come to help us any at all. Our representative; we haven't seen his face yet, I don't know where he is right now but I know that he must be enjoying himself but we are not enjoying our self. If you notice how long this line here right, you know how hectic things are at the back here right now? Some of us haven't eaten for like 3 days, you think it's a joke? Ah I have my mother-in-law right there in the line and she have to go to work later. She has to stand up in line, that woman feet are swell right now. We need some help urgently ASAP quick fast and hurry before we die. Please don't let them come around with paper and pen because we are tired of that. Everything is 3 days, how they know if we will live to see 3 days and they still haven't put in the light back here, what are they trying to do? They already see that this is a hot zone. They want these boys to kill one another back here. Frustration is already kicking in from this hurricane. They need to come and deal with back here. Why are they neglecting here? Why you are neglecting back here Dean Barrow?"

Yabourough Resident
"Like everybody else people need food, clothes and shelter. People need plywood and stuff like that but I am different I don't know about the other people, but in the neighborhood people are trying to get food and stuff but the government seems to take long to get people aid and people are out here standing for some time trying to get assistant. They say that it is clothes they are giving to the people. They need to have bags pack and give to people but I guess you got to stand in line. But people need the basic things around here. They do."

Andrea Polanco
"So you think that the help is taking long to come?"

Yabourough Resident
"In a sense I would say that they are taking a long time but maybe things got to work with time. Things got to be done in a certain kind of way so maybe that's the reason why they got to do things that way so we got to be patient I guess. Somewhat I am patient."

Yabourough Resident
"My uncle and I and we lose the entire house, like 3 house gone. We need some strong help and like boat, machine and everything is gone. Right now we can go work, we can't do anything so we are just asking people to contribute something to us - the Yarborough peoples. We are getting something from here. But we need shelter because we have young kids that need shelter. I am crying out to the people to reach out to the Yarborough peoples, all of us need it. We need help."

Andrea Polanco
"So you need food, clothes?"

Yabourough Resident
"Whatever that they can supply us with we will appreciate it."

Joycelyn Hunter, Hurricane Victim
"Well right now our basic is clothes and food, water..."

Andrea Polanco
"This hurricane happen Sunday night. You think they are taking too long to respond to your need?"

Joycelyn Hunter, Hurricane Victim
"So far the only person that came back here to help us is the water people, but they promise us that we might not get the water today - Bowen and Bowen, they say they will come tomorrow but in the line of food and other stuff we have got anything. We lose bed, we lose everything completely."

And while Andrea Polanco was at the community center - Monica Bodden was in the heart of the Yabra Community. As we showed you on Monday that community was banged and blown through by the raging winds, and besieged by the epic storm surge of Hurricane Richard.

Today, 72 hours after the storm made landfall - electricity had been restored but there wasn't much else to talk about, except desperate need and mounting impatience which were in abundant supply:..

Monica Bodden
"Ms. Joycelyn I mean tell me? you get any support from this area after the hurricane."

Joycelyn Hunter, Hurricane Victim
"None, the only person who come through this morning was Bowen and Bowen came and ask if we need water, but they say that they were not sure if they would come back this afternoon, but definitely tomorrow to bring water. But apart from that nobody else from nowhere come to assist us."

Monica Bodden
"Tell me how hard it has been. You told me earlier that you didn't have any food for your daughter and yourself."

Joycelyn Hunter, Hurricane Victim
"Well I just sit down and I take it how it I could handle it. This morning my neighbor got up and watch my daughter and she told her that what she have she will share, she said that she can't share for both of us. It doesn't matter as long as my child eats. I am a strong person and I will forever be a strong person because God is there for me. But to watch my little girl here not having anything to eat, it's hard."

Monica Bodden
"You think honesty that more help needed in this area?"

Hatim Abdula, Hurricane Victim
"Much more help we need lot of help because I think that Port Loyola is the area that got the most damage out of all and then they just left it half done. Because now we have to still fix up the streets when the government should have already come and do good job of fixing the street."

Monica Bodden
"Your neighbors; you notice if anyone is getting assistance? I see right behind you houses that got broke down."

Adel Abdula, Hurricane Victim
"When they come they come sometime and just ask and then they go, so they miss some neighbors, because some neighbors have to go and get food for them. When they come back they say that they are sorry they didn't catch them. That is how it goes like in and out, like bo peep."

Monica Bodden "You lost everything?"

Joycelyn Hunter, Hurricane Victim
"Everything, see the mattress and things out there with mud, stove, TV, chair and table, everything not even clothes. Everything is in there wet up from top to bottom, shoes everything."

Monica Bodden
"How hard has it been for you baby?"

Joycelyn Hunter, Daughter - Hurricane Victim
"Bad."

Monica Bodden
"You lose everything?"

Joycelyn Hunter, Daughter - Hurricane Victim
"Yes ma'am."

Hurricane Victim "So far for me I don't see they are doing anything yet because people are still suffering and every minute different people come and ask you questions but you are not getting any assistance. They just come to ask all kind of questions, but they are not giving anything because nobody is getting help. People back here really need help because as you can see the place is mess up, if it wasn't for us who try to clean up, we would know what would happen to us."

Monica Bodden
"People come ask you what you need and get your name and so forth?"

Hurricane Victim
"Yeah we don't see anyone giving us anything. They just ask you what you need; you need water; we will come and get if for you, but we don't see anybody."

And with all that, what can you do to help? Well the Red Cross launched its drive today - and the city council also outlined its action plan for response - we'll have both of those later on in the news - but we stress that for those affected communities help cannot come soon enough.

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