Woman Living in Collapsed House Seeking Assistance

A resident of Neal Pen Road in Belize City is looking for a job so that she can move from her house that had collapsed on January second. Florence Horne remains in the structure, but the ceiling and floor are compromised. She says the National Emergency Management Organization has visited her, but the property is currently the subject of a legal dispute. She is willing to move, but trying to find employment, so she can buy a piece of land the Ministry of Natural Resources approved back in October of 2021.

Florence Horne

Florence Horne, Neal Penn Road Resident

“Inside the look fih cave een. And then, I the ask fih wah lee assistance because the inside the cave een. Yo nuh have to give no money. You could either try help me with a lee job that ah could pay the land paper, or a lee house, cause Cordel the help me with a land. So, ah the try ask fih something, anything weh anybody could help me.”

Paul Lopez

What type of skills do you have?

Florence Horne

“First, I does work dah City Council before deh let mih guh. That dah the only job I does work. I does work dah sewing factory to, when it does be satellite sewing factory, now dah foam factory. Well, I mih the inside, and all I feel dah when the house gwen. I couldn’t do nothing, not even scream. I just stand up one spot. When the house drop, the re-fridge, everything drop pan top ah me. Ih drop pan my leg and start give me a lee pain in my leg. I never start scream, I mih frighten. I mih suh frighten tell I mih the shake, til mih daughter deh mih want ker me dah hospital and I neva want guh, I nuh like hospital.”

Paul Lopez

“I would imagine somebody might say, the condition of the house at the time, you should have seen it perhaps find a way to vacate the house.”

Florence Horne

“But, weh ah gwen, I nuh got nowhere to go. I nuh got no help, suh weh ah gwen. If I mih got a job, I could ah mih rent somewhere, but I nuh have nothing.”