Sonnie Porkpa, 36, a resident of Norvlin Town, district #4, Montserrado County, wished that his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, God’s Gift Porkpa, would start nursery school for academic 2022 and 2023, but flood aborted his plan by killing the little girl; writes Ojuku Silver-tongue Kangar, Jr.
“My daughter’s death is a big blow to me, and things have not been easy for me,” Porkpa said, as tears seeped from his eyes. “The water surrounded the house and her mother came outside to throw her pamper in the water. She left from inside the house, followed her mother and dropped from the steps into the water.
“Before her mother turned around to come pick her up from the water, she was in coma. They rushed her to the hospital, but she did not make it. She was a year and half old. L had planned to send her to school this year,” he added.
The flood, which is the district’s yearly rainy season nightmare, affected 10 communities and made several homeless. The Thomas Foundation, having toured the affected flooding areas, visited four of the communities with food items on Wednesday.
“We are here today not for any political relevance; we are here to represent the Thomas Foundation—that is giving to the people in time of need,” Michael Thomas, the executive of the foundation, said. “Our people have been in their homes for a week due to the rain and flood, their husbands can’t go to work and their mothers can’t go to the market.
“The children can’t go to school, this is a serious situation. The issue of flood in the district is not something that is strange to us because every time, this time of the year, we experience it. We need to find an approach to remedy this situation. We need to revert the river and improve the drainage system,” he added.
“Our people are sickly and dying because they are strangulated by the flood,” Thomas said.
The victims’ plight, which ranged from bridge construction, clinic, school, electricity, and so on, stirred up Atty. Thomas’ humanitarian sentiment: he walked in the water along with his team members and went over to the Cross River community to see the appalling situation the people face.
“We want bridge. The water is suffering us. Our children are not going to school and we can’t go anywhere. The cold [is] making us sick,” the flood victims at Norvlin Town and Cross River said, presenting their plight to the foundation.
According to Cross River’s Secretary, Marshall M. Kerkulah, the community has, approximately, a 10,000 population and lacks basic human essentials.
“We thank the honorable for the food and water. But our children and pregnant women’s health here are at risk. The rain and the flood prevent them from access to the clinic or hospital,” Kerkulah said.
At Norvlin Town, Martha Q. Smith, acting chairlady, decried the community being victimized by politicians’ rhetoric over the years, and pleaded with Atty. Thomas to make the difference.
“No culvert. We [are] suffering from the flood. We lost our little daughter in the flood here recently, and we need government’s intervention and yours. We need hand pump and latrine,” Smith said.
Smith’s appeal, which sounded like a haunting dirge to everyone in hearing-reach, broke down Atty. Thomas, who called for the observance of a moment of silence for the passing off of the little girl.
“It is a pathetic situation. She did not deserve to die; it is not her fault for us to have this situation,” the district’s Representative-hopeful said. “But when you have issues with leadership, road connectivity and interaction with people, than you have this kind of situation because it is not organized and things are not planned”.
During the donation of food items to the victims, the Thomas Alliance for Change gave 20 bags of 25kg rice and 50 sacks of sachet water to Gaza community; 24 bags of 25kg rice and 100 sacks of sachet water to Nian-gbalah and Cross River communities; and 15 bags of 25kg rice and 75 sacks of sachet water to Norvlin Town.
The beneficiaries thanked the district’s representative-aspirant for his humanitarian service, and referred to him as acting representative. They observed that torrential rainfall is still ahead and their condition will become more severe than this; they pleaded for a quick-impact solution.
The foundation has vowed to address the appalling condition of the balance five affected communities as it has done for the others.
“I will give 25 scholarships and buy jersey and football for the Norvlin Town youths. For the electricity, l will officially write LEC for meter, and will come back for us to put hand on deck for a way forward,” Atty. Thomas said with deep compassion.
Amidst several calls by the victims for incumbent Representative Rustolyn Suacco Dennis to aid them, her phone had rung endlessly, according to Kerkulah.
The foundation’s good gesture for the victims is in line with the United Nations General Assembly resolution, “Strengthening of the Coordination of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance of the United Nations”. The Assembly encouraged member states to ensure that the basic humanitarian needs of affected populations, including water, food, shelter, health, sexual and reproductive health, education and protection, energy and information and communication technologies, are addressed.
The foundation’s humanitarian gesture will continue to Lofa, Shara Harbel, Norvlin Central Town, Sowto and Gboe.