Businessman feeds marooned families

Barrackpore businessman Eddie Surjan is being hailed a hero after he decided to make hot meals from his businessplace – Barrackpore Breakfast Shed – available for free to people left marooned in their homes by swirling flood waters yesterday morning.

From as early as 7 am, a team of volunteers including a man in a bright yellow raincoat, descended on the Breakfast Shed and used steel bowls to pack hot meals including sandwiches, sada roti, pies and bottled water to the grateful residents.

In a Facebook post which was widely shared including by Moruga/Tableland Member of Parliament Dr Lovell Francis, Surjan said he hoped to help not only those who can’t cook but elderly people as well, “who really need” food and water.

Some of the residents have been marooned since Wednesday as flood waters rose to as high as five feet in certain low-lying areas of Barrackpore.

He asked for anyone with “high vehicles” who were willing to “volunteer to transport food” to call him on his cell phone. “Please share this around Barrackpore,” Surjan appealed, “maybe we might save somebody’s life!” MP Francis shared the post, describing Surjan’s initiative as “another example of good citizenship by the business community.”

“The personnel of the Barrackpore Breakfast Shed providing hot meals for free to persons stranded by the flood waters. Thanks ever so much,” Francis wrote. A woman, in sharing the post, said it was, “good to see this business helping flood victims. They are asking for assistance so check this out to see if you can help in any way.”

Another Facebook user shared the post, telling his friends, “Hats off to the staff of the (Barrackpore) Breakfast Shed. May the Lord continue to bless and protect you and yours now and always.” Speaking with Newsday yesterday afternoon, Surjan said he did not feel like a hero but was doing his “small bit” in bringing relief to those in need. He praised the volunteers, as being the real heroes, by wading through water to reach the homes of those marooned to bring food items to them.

“We met flood up to five feet high in some places. People were extremely grateful, especially for the bottled water. One woman who had a baby could not hold back her tears when she explained that her child didn’t have any drinking water and the floods were too high for them to leave their house. A special thanks to all of the volunteers and the guys who donated their high vans which we used to carry the food and water to far off places,” Surjan said.