BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A family from the Conaree Village area who lost everything when the house in which they lived was destroyed in a fire on March 10, 2009 have been living like nomads since the incident.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with SKNVibes Viola Williams and her daughter Patricia Samuel, a mother of five who moved into the Conaree Community Centre last night described details of their unfortunate situation and living conditions since their dwelling house and worldly possessions were engulfed by flames.
According to Williams she was out of the island when the disaster struck which also claimed her Isuzu pick-up truck but her daughter Patricia, a Police Officer with some sixteen years in the force since enlisting in 1994 was at home with her four children. Samuel was also pregnant at that time with her youngest son who will be celebrating his first birthday later this month.
Samuel recalled that on the night of the fire she was at home with her children waiting for her boyfriend for whom she had left the outside light on. “I started to fall asleep but I got back up several times and peeped outside to see if he was coming and to check on the house to make sure everything was ok, but the final time when I got up, was just sometime after midnight and I heard something like a crackling noise.”
“I went to peep again and I saw current like it was running through the wires from the lamppost outside until it came right down to our house and blew out the meter.”
She further recalled that after the meter was blown out, there was a huge blaze of fire and all she could have thought about was the children’s safety and therefore acted quickly in trying to escape from the inferno, soon realizing that they were all trapped and the only exit was a door located at the back of the house.
Samuel stated that several persons on the scene tried several calls to alert the Fire and Rescue Services which eventually arrived about one hour later and after being unable to locate the fire hydrant discovered that the fire truck was parked over the hydrant.
Samuel on to say that Hester Rawlins, Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Rescue Services along with Fire Officer Bell, during a telephone conversation with her mom both told her mother that the fire was caused by an electrical fault and that there was no need for her to worry because everything would be taken care of. However, on a later date she was given a report on the fire by Rawlins which stated that the cause of the fire was unknown.
After the incident the family was offered accommodation in the home of a friend, Devon Simmons, who is employed as a Postman and serves the Conaree area. The family resided in Simmons’ home for some six months. Williams who assisted in explaining the plight of the family said, after that time she was house sitting for a friend in England and took it upon herself to move into his house for the time being.
“Sometime in January or February he came to St. Kitts on a cruise and told me I would have to find somewhere to go. He left and came back on Tuesday (September 7) after which he told me we would have to find somewhere to go by Friday that is when my daughter went and spoke to the lady responsible for the keys for the Conaree Community Centre and we moved in last night.” (September 8)
While SKNVibes was present speaking with the mother and daughter; four of the children were getting themselves prepared for school while the youngest one was lying quietly on the bed. Williams said her grandson will turn one year next month and is not yet able to creep as his mom appears to have been affected by the fire because while she was pregnant with him sometimes her entire body would just shut down and left her only able to talk. The centre was congested with numerous items which the family claimed were gifts from various persons.
To date the family claims the only assistance provide by the government is in the form of three beds and food vouchers for C&C Supermarket which is granted every four or five months.
Williams said although her daughter had made an appointment to meet the Prime Minister since February and several other occasions she has never gotten the opportunity to see him, as on each occasion she is told ‘he is not there’. She said, she visited ZIZ on two occasions while he was at the studio during the weekly ‘Ask The PM’ programme and all he did was enquire if she is the lady whose home was destroyed by the fire incident in Conaree and took her name and number in a little black book.
The visibly depressed woman and her daughter said their hopes were lifted when Wayland Vaughn, the General Manager of NHC gave them some architectural drawings from which to choose a design, offering the family to build a house and requiring them to sign a several papers, only to return sometime later to indicate that NHC would not be able to help them because the corporation has no money and had over spent the budget.
“After I singed so many papers and got my hopes up then he call me and told me that I felt so ashamed, the earth could have just opened up and take me” expressed Williams.
“He also asked us if we are just going to sit and wait for people to help us. “I am trying to help myself but the money just isn’t there and we have been trying to find a house but we cannot afford anything expensive. I don’t want to hang my hat too high” she added.
SKNVibes contacting Vaughn who said, he knows of the incident but he did not provide them with any plans from which to choose. “I receive my instructions from a board of directors, I know she sent an application but I did not receive an ok from the board to proceed” he said.
He added that the Secretary of the Board is the one responsible for sending out responses to requests and he does not know the details of what was in the response to the family and whether they were told that NHC does not have the money to fund the project.
Williams further told this media outlet that on her own initiative, she began collecting donations from the public and had so far picked up $5000 but said she has not collected any money for some time having been discouraged by the reaction of some persons whom she approached. She mentioned that the Conaree Football Association donated $500 which she greatly appreciated.
The children include three boys 15, 13 and 11months and two girls who are 10 and 3. Both the 15-year-old and the 13-year-old were born on March 10 so now, not only would that day be remembered as the day they celebrate their birthdays but also the date they lost everything. The two girls would also be celebrating their birthdays on September 11 and 15.
Since the incident, Willams who is self employed as a huckster or ’Turn hand’ said this has set her back in many ways as she used her pick-up to do jobs for people. She said after the incident she had also gotten a broken leg which was another setback in her moving around.
The daughter, Samuel, said they will be at the community centre until they are thrown out or until they find a house. Williams said, it is hard for her to explain how she feels and that one would have to have a fire to appreciate her situation.
About four hours after visiting the family in the community center SKNVibes received a call from Samuel who said two women whose names she cannot remember, visited them at the center, one of whom told her she is the person responsible for the community centre in that area. She went on to say that the lady in a hostile manner then told her that she has an office up stairs the premises and they would not be able to stay there as it is for community use.
The family said they would like to thank the following persons for their assistance Devon Simmons, Rock & Dirt, Solid Waste, Nick Spencer, Eugene Hamilton, Pastor Herbert, Miss Pollock at Saddlers Village, Austin Richards and they general public who helped or did not help.
