MP: No cheques yet for flood victims

Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial says she is very concerned that the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services Minister Cheryl-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn has failed to distribute flood compensation cheques to 150 families severely affected by the recent floods in Ramdial’s constituency a month ago.

In a release, Ramdial said most of the flood victims have not been visited by officers from the Ministry to verify losses although a month has elapsed. The sad reality of these unfortunate constituents, Ramdial said, is that most of them lost household appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, washing machines and are in need of compensation to purchase new appliances. In some instances, the MP said, families evacuated from their homes during the flood have not returned due to this unacceptable delay of compensation. This inaction and incompetence demonstrated on the part of the Ministry is by no means a surprise, Ramdial said. Minister Crichlow-Cockburn should know better, the MP stated, and put the processing of flood compensation cheques to the front burner of her Ministry’s duties at this time.

Ramdial reminded that thousands of families were affected by this flood yet the PNM government seems to be missing in action while non-government organisatiosn and community-based organisations are the ones who have assumed the leadership role in assisting victims.

Ramdial called on Minister Crichlow-Cockburn to expedite the verification of losses so that the processing of compensation cheques could be done as soon as possible. Efforts to reach Minister Crichlow-Cockburn yesterday via her cellular phone for a comment proved futile.