The Tribune

By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Rotary Clubs of Nassau yesterday donated nine “family style” disaster tents to the National Sports Agency (NSA) for persons who have been displaced by the raging fire at the New Providence Landfill and the surrounding areas.

In an interview with The Tribune, Diane de Cardena, president of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, said after hearing the stories of persons who stayed at the Kendal G L Isaacs Gymnasium, which is being used as an evacuation shelter for persons fleeing the hazardous smoke, the club “had to do something to help.”

The tents, originally earmarked for Andros after Hurricane Matthew devastated the island last year, can hold a family of four comfortably and include a living room and three sleeping areas that are also separated.

Residents in Jubilee Gardens and the surrounding areas were forced to evacuate their homes on Sunday after a massive fire at the landfill blanketed the community in thick, black hazardous smoke.

On Monday, Minister of the Environment Kendred Dorsett said residents will have to wait at least five to seven days before the evacuation order is lifted and persons are allowed to “safely” return to their homes.

Days later, Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller criticised the government for “forcing residents to sleep on a cot in a cold gym,” stressing that the accommodations at the shelter were not adequate.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Miller said he was “shocked” when he saw where the residents were being housed.

He said dozens of his constituents called him complaining that there is no privacy in the gym and the sleeping areas are not adequate for families. However on Wednesday, Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin said that some of the displaced families were relocated to alternative housing.

“Rotary Club of the Bahamas donated tents in response to that story,” Ms de Cardenas said.

“The tents are 15x17 and can sleep a family of four comfortably. It has dividers on the inside and includes a living room area and has three different rooms in the back with zipper doors. So it has the privacy the families want. We got a lot of them after Hurricane Matthew and we sent some to Andros. They were not all needed and we had some here. We saw a need and the rest is history. I went to the gym and I saw where the people were sleeping. To me it looked nice but for a family of five it is really not private. Having the tents makes a huge difference.”

The tents will remain with the NSA to be used during times of emergency. The tents were received from Disaster Aid USA.