House collapsed while family of ten sleeps

A single mother with nine children needs assistance tonight in finding accommodation after her house crashed this morning. The family was at home when the wooden structure caved in. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports spoke to the distressed family to find out how they’re coping without a roof over their heads.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting
This morning a wooden house on Benbow Street crashed to the ground with most of its occupants inside. The rear of the house collapsed first, then the front came crashing down. Some neighbours were outside and saw when it fell off its pillars.

Leeton Trotman, Witness
“I hear how di house bruk down and everybody get up out ah di house and gone outside den afterwards di two lee gial dehn gone by deh. Den afterwards di police truck come and den di ambulance. Den afterwards di lady gone by deh gone si who get hurt and den afterwards nobody no get hurt and afterwards di ambulance and den afterwards di fire truck come.”

Jose Sanchez
“Was anybody crying when they came out?”

Leeton Trotman
“Yes sir, a lee bwai.”

Jose Sanchez
“And the sound itself, was it a loud crash?”

Leeton Trotman
“Yes sir.”

Arlene Banner, a single mother of nine arrived home and inspected the leaning walls, broken, beds, and collapsed ceiling.

Arlene Banner, Homeowner
“I wasn’t here I went to do some things this morning, meanwhile I was out that’s what happened; they called me and told me that’s when the house collapsed this morning.”

Jose Sanchez
“No one was hurt.”

Arlene Banner
“No, no one was. Most of them were—is broken but I don’t know what all got destroyed because I haven’t taken a good check as yet.”

One child sat dazed on the floor where his bed collapsed and the wall opened up to the sun. His mother said that this could have been avoided if she was given assistance a year ago.

Arlene Banner
“I got the house from my mother in law last year July before she went to California. She went with me to ‘Boots’ Martinez’ office that he can assist us to help repair the place and he told us yes and I could come back in two weeks. When we went back, he told me not to move into the house, he will see that he fix it for me. So I said okay Mr. Martinez. Months went by; four months, five months, six months. I had no choice, I had to move inna di place like dis bout wah month ago. Every time I go it’s just coming back, coming back, coming back. I get to a point where I had enough so I stop go there and now this is what happened.”

Gayla O’Brien, Neighbour
“I hate that when the thing has to go to the media. These people need help from long before this. Now to me this is a great embarrassment before these people get help. But ih look like in life dat yoh have to go through embarrassment before you get help.”

Arlene Banner
“I personally am here pleading and asking government to please assist me anyway they can.”

Jose Sanchez
“If he says today for sure he, will do something to help, will that ease your mind little?”

Arlene Banner
“Most naturally it will and I would greatly appreciate it but how long would it take?”

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Minster of Works
“I need to be fair to myself, that house sits in the Queen Square constituency. Under the south side project, we will see how what we can do. In my view, it’s a matter of urgency, we are here to alleviate poverty on the south side so I think that I can make a case to my ministry so we can help her. But I will have to be fair also to myself though. I am not the Minister of Housing. Between Southside project and Ministry of Housing, I think we can help that lady to put our structure—I wouldn’t say back together. We might look at a new home for her. I can almost give a guarantee that—I don’t know how large the house may be but I can give a guarantee that between the Ministry of housing and the South Side Project we could probably put up a sixteen by twenty-four plycem house for her.”

Leeton Trotman
“The ministry should help them get a new house back but a cement one; a good house.”

Though help is on the way, the Banner’s aren’t waiting. One of the smaller kids begins the process of picking up the shattered pieces of what once was a home. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.