Celebrities offer help after floods

International celebrities with local roots have pledged their support to helping the victims of the devastating October 19-21 floods.

Soca artiste Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez has been co-ordinating with them to offer aid to the flood victims. It has been reported that Lyons-Alvarez and rapper Busta Rhymes, Love and Hip Hop Atlanta actress Karlie Redd and Dynasty’s Rob Riley have offered assistance.

Lyons-Alvarez said she received offers of assistance and help from some people “because the flood happened so suddenly, for them internationally, it was more feasible for them to say, ‘Fine, I could pull together something,’ and donate.

“For others, like Neal Farinah, who is Beyonce’s hairstylist and a very good friend of mine, every time something happens, he is always there on the phone: ‘Fay Ann, what can I do? What is going on? How can I help?’ He has given us his basement in New York. He has a salon and he has given us his basement in New York to use as a hub for people to drop off stuff, because we did not have a secure location for people to drop stuff off.”

She said Farinah was also going to make a video to let people know they can drop donations by him.

“Then we can organise to have them stored in a container and shipped.” Lyons-Alvarez is not accepting donations on behalf of the celebrities. Instead, she is working with organisations like Is There Not a Cause (ITNAC) to have assistance given directly to those who need it. She said in this way, she hopes to help people replace their household appliances through an offer made by furniture store Courts.