7 News Belize

The Relief Regime
posted (November 2, 2010)
And while relief supplies arrived in Gales Point today - the work for the Ministry of human Development is far from over. That's because the storm affected many vulnerable communities with residents who were just eking out a marginal existence - and now they've gone into a survival deficit.

Today we spoke with Judith Alpuche, the CEO in the Ministry Of Human Development which is in charge of distributing relief and supplies to all storm affected communities. Her department has come under fire for ineffective outreach and uneven distribution. In a sense, with so much need, such criticisms are inevitable but she told us today they are undeterred in a programme that is both responsive and precise.

Judith Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Human Development
"As the all clear was issued we mobilized, so we went out and we started to do assessments and at the same time delivering some very basic things to people. Water and tarps were at a premium on Monday as you can imagine when we started our assessments and distributing very basic food stuff. This happened in the Stann Creek District, in Belmopan and surrounding areas as well as Belize City and Belize Rural. By Tuesday in some of the hardest hit areas especially in the Cesar Ridge area we had already delivered to people full ration packs for the week, and those ration packs are a combination of ready to eat canned foods as well as foods that need to be cooked, cleaning and hygiene items; Clorox, soup powder and things that people will need to wash out their stuff. So those were delivered from Tuesday in some areas in Cesar Ridge and it's a similar story all over the country."

"Thus far in Belize City the numbers that we have: we've assisted over 1,400 families and we are still crunching the numbers in Belize City alone. In the Belmopan and surrounding areas it's around 700 families and in Dangriga - a like number. So as I said we feel pretty confident that by Saturday we have covered most of the ground and now we are doing mop-up."

Jules Vasquez
"How about the other areas in the Belize District - Freetown Sibun, Hattieville, Gracie Rock, Gales Point Manatee?"

Judith Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Human Development
"We have been out there, Gales Point Manatee has been serviced actually from out Stann Creek office - from our Stann Creek operation because of the accessibility - it's easier. And we have been to Freetown Sibun, Gracie Rock etc. we've been working a long with Crystal Water who have taken in their bowser because the concern is also around drinking water because in communities such as Freetown and Gracie Rock they depend on the river for the water and the river is running black, so we know it's going to be a while."

"I know that in the beginning people were complaining about 'pen and paper' but this is how you guarantee universal access and that people are not double dipping right? Because at the same time we were filling out things we were providing people with some very basic things that we needed right then and there. We couldn't cover all the ground because we just didn't have enough in the first instance. That why we went back and we made sure that from Tuesday people were getting what they needed because we were focusing in on the most hard hit families in the first instance. It is not a bottomless pit so we have to ensure from the government standpoint that everybody gets a little bit and that those who need get it. What you have here is a hurricane that has been introduced into an already difficult circumstance and so families would need support for them to be able to stand up and to move on."

"We have to factor this in now to the larger policy response to poverty alleviation because we already know that some of these cases will turn into welfare cases whereas they weren't before, because of this they will turn into welfare cases."

And doing his part today was the area representative for Caribbean Shores, Carlos Perdomo. He collected a few mattresses for storm affected persons and told us about the donation:…

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Defence and Immigration
"This is a contribution; our first contribution of about 18 mattresses which was donated by people in Caribbean Shores."

Jules Vasquez
"18 mattresses surely wont re-shape the face of the disaster affected areas."

Judith Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Human Development
"Every little bit counts."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Defence and Immigration
"We are now beginning now to collect clothing to do another side issue on this rehabilitative effort."

And if you're wondering why Perdomo is on the media offensive - stay tuned because when we come back - we'll ask him is he's worried about a challenge from Roger Espejo….

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