TDH – ST. PETERS–Victims of the St. Peters fire are struggling to get their lives back in order. Although they have received support from individual people, Tzu Chi Foundation and the community centre, organised support from the government has been sadly lacking, other than in the days immediately after the fire, one of the victims complains.
Next week it will be a month since the fire in Magnolia Drive, which is mainly remembered as the fire where a group of brave young men worked together with fire officers to ensure the damage was minimised.
A number of people were made homeless and lost everything apart from the clothes on their backs. Mary Weekes-Joseph (59) and her family were victims of the fire. Nearly one month later, she, her adult daughter with two children, her son and daughter-in-law are all living together in a single room in St. Peters Community Centre.
“Immediately after the fire, Minister Maurice Lake told us to go to the community centre. He visited us there and gave us some food. We were grateful, and are still grateful for that. But unfortunately, after his assistance, we have not heard anything from anybody in government. A social worker has spoken to us, but we haven’t actually received any help.”
Weekes-Joseph, who is originally from Nevis but has been in St. Maarten from the age of 16, explains that her family has received a lot of support from the community. “People have come to us with food and clothes. We are very grateful. But we are still in need. A lot of the clothes were too small, and the food is running out.”
The matriarch of the family was sharing a house that was partitioned off into two sections before the fire. She, her daughter and two grandchildren lived in one part of the house, her son and daughter-in-law lived in the other part, where they also frequently had his son, a seven-year-old who lives with his mother, stay with them. The house and all the family’s belongings burned down entirely.
Both of Weekes-Joseph’s children work. “My son stacks shelves at Sunny Foods and my daughter works in a pre-school in South Reward. However, both are on low wages. My son tries to support his son with his ex, as well as his wife. My daughter has two dependent children and a son who is studying in the Netherlands, and my son and daughter support me as well. They work very hard, but they don’t make enough to get all of us back on our feet.”
Weekes-Joseph’s son and daughter-in-law have gone through a hard time already, as they lost an unborn child last year. But the family remains upbeat.
“We are grateful for what we have received so far, and for the roof over our heads, even if it is just a single room. We have the use of a kitchen and a bathroom. But where do we go from here? We saw a house that was available to rent. But the landlord wanted US $1,150 deposit. We can’t get that kind of money together,” she said.
Weekes-Joseph, who has been a member of the Good News Baptist Church, is a committed Christian who goes to church weekly. “I thank God for the community centre. I hope God will provide. We still need clothes and household goods, and above all, financial help.”
She hopes that there may be a church community that is willing to help the family. Individual donations are very much appreciated, but with regard to clothes, it is important that people check with the victims exactly what is needed. “Some people just deposited clothes, but the sizes were all wrong. We appreciate their generosity, but we need clothes we can actually use,” she says.
When asked whether her seven-year-old grandson had any toys, she responded, “He has nothing. Toys are not a priority at the moment, although books would be nice. Clothes, food and especially money are more important.”
Weekes-Joseph’s main concern is the lack of support from the government. “After the initial help from Maurice Lake, we have heard nothing from the government. We need some support. All we need is some help to get back on our feet, and then we can take over from there. My son and daughter work, but we were never rich. Now, having lost everything, we are poor. We just need a hand to get back on our feet.”
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