Members of the Saint Lucia Cadet Corps are fanning out across the North of the country to bring relief supplies to hundreds of families affected by recent devastating floods.
“Right now, we are catering for some 300 families from Corinth, Grande Riviere, Assou Canal, Monchy, and Bexon, ” the Chairman of the National Supplies Committee, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Hyacinth, told St Lucia Times.
On Saturday, he disclosed that the Cadet Corps members were delivering supplies obtained from corporate donors and the government.
“So far, we have delivered more than 150 packages, and we are working on trying to get the other 150 – hopefully by Monday into Tuesday,” Hyacinth stated.
He explained that the Cadet Corps collaborates with the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) and other volunteers in getting relief supplies to affected families.
“Today, Saturday, it just happens that it is only the Cadets. The other volunteers were not working, so only the Cadets are out in the Assou Canal, Grande Riviere, and heading towards Monchy as well to deliver family packs,” Hyacinth stated.
He said the packages include mattresses, food, blankets, pillows, and baby items.
According to Hyacinth, the Cadet Corps members were trying to reach as many families as possible.
He told St Lucia Times that although some families lost appliances, NEMO could not replace them.
Nevertheless, Hyacinth, the Cadets are assisting NEMO in distributing government vouchers.
“We are the boots on the ground for NEMO, doing the assessments, doing the deliveries,” the Chairman of the National Supplies Committee observed.
He said in the past week, some twenty Cadets daily were involved in assessments and distribution.
However, Hyacinth revealed a challenge in ensuring full community coverage through collaboration with District Disaster Committees.
“We have not been able to work together with the District Disaster Committees in ensuring that we cover every nitty gritty within the communities because we have found that there are a number of areas that were never covered,” he stated.
But he indicated that steps are underway to address the issue.
