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HOME	APRIL 23rd, 2005

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APR 23

Security at shelters needs a radical upgrade in the event of another natural disaster the likes of Hurricane Ivan.

That's the lament of some residents of St. George's North-east during a recent Public Consultation on disaster management. Achool Teacher Rose Charles said that she was forced to stay away from a shelter because of the type of men she saw and the lack of adequate security.

"I had to just get out of that place. Now when I saw some of those guys there, there was no way I was going to stay in that place. And there were gambling and they had this kind of look in their faces. You had to have some kind of security there", she added.

According to Pauline Cobb, security officers must be on trucks that are despatched to distribute relief supplies. She suggested that there was need for community policing to help the police in times of disaster.

"Get some good men in the area to act as security because after the Hurricane when I saw those guys thieving things from the school I really wish I had that power with a handcuff to just deal with these guys", she said.

Cobb also suggested that health officials to make visits to homes being used as shelters instead of only visiting certified shelters. Jeremiah Williams complained that people who turned their homes into shelters during Hurricane Ivan were neglected by the authorities.

"I am an example. I had five people for five months in my home and I tried to get some assistance and that did not work", he said. One man called for the setting up of a Disaster Relief Fund, sustained by a contribution of one percent of everyone's salary.

And there were echoes of concern about relief supplies being handed out along political party lines. Andrea Aberdeen said that St.George's North-east is an area crying out for help.

"NERO is the person that is going to have to negotiate that between North East Because North East is a community that is not organized and everybody seems to be looking at one another to get things done", she added.