Red Cross identifies with flood victims

The Liberia National Red Cross Society, LNRCS distributes shelter materials to citizens of affected communities in rural Montserrado, and Margibi Counties respectively, who were affected by flood in 2016.

According to the Red Cross, shelter materials including zincs and cements were distributed to 48 family heads in Margibi and Montserrado counties, the items include about six hundred (600) bundles of zinc, five hundred and eighty (580) bags of cement and planks are among things being distributed to the affected families in 12 communities.

The Liberian Red Cross is also distributing relief materials including pots, blankets, soap, tarpaulins, wheelbarrows, shovels, buckets, and garbage cans in 10 communities in Margibi and 10 communities in Montserrado counties, respectively.

The shelter materials are being distributed in the Liberian Red Cross Project-Enhancing Response and Recovery Capacity for Population affected by floods in both counties with support from the Government of Japan.

The shelter materials are being provided to communities under the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Emergency Fund project supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The Red Cross is supporting citizens in the affected communities to help reestablish their lives with hope and dignity after flood in 2016 and 2017 affected over 15, 431 people from 49 communities in the two counties.

Speaking to this paper during an exclusive interview in Demies Town in Rural Montserrado, Red Cross Emergency Preparedness and Response Officer, Daniel Kossigbo recalls that in 2016 several citizens suffered heavy floods in rural Montserrado and Margibi counties, which led the Liberian Red Cross to have launched an appeal to the Japanese Red Cross for the so purpose of providing support to identify with the affected citizens.

“We are targeting the most vulnerable in the distribution of recovery and shelter materials we have available at the moment. We are looking forward to more funding support to enable us meet the needs of everyone affected to improve their lives”, Mr. Kossigbo told beneficiaries in rural Montserrado on Friday.

The Secretary General of the Liberian Red Cross Sayba Tamba asserts, “We remain committed to protecting the livelihoods and building the resilience of communities and people affected by the flood, working to mitigate the risks, promoting their recovery.”

Meanwhile one of the beneficiaries, Martha Doe told this paper how excited she was to have received the materials from the Liberian Red Cross, noting that the coming of the Red Cross to the various communities was timely.

“I want to thank the Red Cross for thinking about us, it’s been a long time since we got affected by the flood and no one cares, but with the coming of the Red Cross, we know that people still think on the suffering that we are going through as citizens”, says Madam Doe.

By Lewis S. Teh-Editing by Jonathan Browne