Fire Victims Plead For Building Permit
To Avert Bigger Catastrophe During Rainy Season… Fire Victims Plead For Building Permit
After fire had ravaged Susan’s bay, one of the renowned slum communities in the central part of Freetown, on 24th March 2021, which left hundreds of people homeless, businesses and properties burnt, and families and land owners forced to start afresh; Fire victims, who are still residing in the Susan’s bay community, are pleading with the government, through their Local Council authority, to grant them building permits.
Although the government, local council and some corporate institutions and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have been making some positive strides in responding to their call and meet their immediate wants, by constructing make-shift shelters as temporary homes, as well as providing aid of some basic food items, such as; bags of rice, milk, millet etc., and assorted bedroom materials, including sleeping garments, bed-sheets, pillow cases etc., and the relocation of some suckling mothers and their children to the Don Bosco Fambul organization facility and other humanitarian groups, there is a conspicuous absence of the willingness to provide permanent structures for them.
The remaining residents, especially land owners, who are the direct victims, are facing a lot of challenges in the area of accommodation. “We the fire victims at Susan’s bay are in a very worrisome situation, taking into consideration that we are fast approaching the rainy season, and most likely, heavy down pour of rain is expected this year, and there are no proper accommodation for us here, we will be at the mercy of the rain, especially as we have nowhere to go apart from this place”, said Pa Alimamy Kamara, the community chief, who is also a land owner.
In an exclusive interview with this medium, Pa Alimamy furthered that they have had series of engagements with the Freetown City Council, in respect of the issue of building permit, but all have been futile. Sierra Express Media also caught up with another land owner, Mr. Amadu Conteh, who also shared similar sentiments with the community chief. Mr. Conteh further appealed to the government to grant them building permit to rebuild their destroyed homes, as they are suffering and will suffer most if the rains find them in their current state.
By Joseph F Kanu
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