Bittersweet moment for UNC councillor

It was a bittersweet moment on Monday for a 32-year-old Chaguanas woman who within hours became homeless and a councillor.

Owing to a fire at about 2. 30 pm, Whitney Stevenson-Hamlet lost her Housing Development Corporation’s home at Oasis Gardens, Egypt Village.

Reports said she was not at home when the fire broke out at the top floor of the Rhone Crescent townhouse. Her four children who were at home ran out of the burning house. They contacted her and the Chaguanas fire station.

Officers responded promptly and extinguished the blaze, saving the house and preventing it from spreading to the adjourning houses.

No one was injured.

At 6 pm, polls were closed for the local government elections. She later emerged winner of the Enterprise South/ Longdenville North district. The newly minted councillor, who contested on a United National Congress (UNC) ticket, defeated former councillor Ronald Heera.

The UNC via its official Facebook page on Tuesday afternoon posted a video of the damage. It appealed to the public to help Stevenson-Hamlet and her family.

Responding to the post, one user said it was a very sad situation given that she won her seat as a councillor to help people "and now this happens to her and her family."

Many social users prayed for Stevenson-Hamlet, asking God to give her the strength to deal with the situation.

When Newsday contacted her, she said she was unable to speak as she was at the fire station. Subsequent calls went unanswered.