Works Ministry targets falling trees

Nov 03, 2011 News

…after one killed East la Penitence child

As the family of five-year-old Tammica Hackett continues to grieve after heavy winds caused a tree to crash down on their home and killed the child while she slept on Sunday last, they are now beginning to receive assistance from the Guyana Relief Council (GRC) and some Government Ministries.
According to the dead girl’s father, Junior Hackett, since the incident, his family has relocated to the residence of his mother-in-law and they have received some assistance for the funeral from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
“It was six of us but after her (Tammica) death it is only five and we are now living by my mother-in-law right in East La Penitence– not far from here. The Ministry of Human Services is already taking care of all the funeral costs which we are grateful for and the Guyana Relief Council has promised to give us clothing for the funeral as well as other clothes,” said Hackett.
Visiting the site yesterday and meeting with the family members of the deceased was Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, who promised to have the remaining trees cut down (with the use of D-6 bulldozers and excavators) since they were also posing as threats to the community.
He also added that trees in other areas that pose harm to residents will also be cut down.
Kaieteur News understands that there are currently 11 trees which have grown in an unsafe manner and the Public Works Ministry has committed itself to making the area “more safe”.
This caters for those in the immediate environment who live in “squatter shacks” since there is no code for these houses on how they should or could be built for protection.
Minister Benn stated that he would contact the Ministry of Housing to have discussions to “see if the families could be relocated” and that his Ministry would contact the Mayor and City Council (MCC) about the “unsafe trees” since it was already said to have been reported to the Council prior to the unfortunate incident.
Another factor which contributed to the tree falling was that two different types of beetles were making their nests inside of the bark therefore damaging the trees and compromising the strength of the trees.
This also would affect the healthy environment that the children would have to live and grow up in. Members of the Forestry Commission are expected to be called into the matter to play pivotal roles in addressing these issues as well.
The Guyana Relief Council (GRC) has promised the Hackett family clothing, not only for the funeral, but everyday clothing and food packages. The GRC will also assist the family when the members are ready and able to begin rebuilding their home.
The little girl who attended the East La Penitence Primary School and was in grade one, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Hospital.
A relative who lives next door to the family recounted that it was around 01:00hrs when she heard the sound of a heavy wind.
Seconds later a loud crashing sound was heard, and the occupants in the house where the child resided began screaming.
“After the tree fall, all I hear was them hollering in the house…so everybody run outside.”
Neighbours immediately rushed out to render assistance and rescuers quickly pulled the two youngest children—one-year-old Julius, and three-year-old Richie, out of the house.
The eldest child, seven-year-old Kelly Ann Hope, was pulled from the ruble with the assistance of an aunt.
Neighbours kept calling for “Little Tammica” but got no response. The child’s mother, Tamica Hope, watched helplessly as persons tried to find the little girl.
Eventually, one of the neighbours shifted a sheet of zinc and found Tammica lying motionless, pinned by the tree.
It took the neighbors about five minutes to free her but by then it was too late.

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Works Ministry targets falling trees

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