Jamaica Red Cross helps fishermen recover from 'Dean'

The Jamaica Red Cross Society (JRC) are helping fishermen affected by Hurricane Dean to return to their livelihood.

Thirty two fishermen of the Hellshire Fishing Village in Portmore, St. Catherine, are to each receive a voucher valued at Jam $10,000 on November 23. The fishermen lost their fishing equipment during Dean’s passage in August.

The vouchers, which are redeemable at the Jamaica Fishermen Cooperative Credit Union, will be used to purchase fishing pots, nets and other fishing accessories which were destroyed.

JRC Director of Emergency Services Marcia Sinclair, noted that the decision to assist the fishermen was made after a JRC team visited the fishing village and observed the devastating effects they had sustained.

 A follow up visit was made with JRC representatives meeting with the fishermen to assess their individual situations. Consultation was also done with a community leader who is familiar with the fishermen to ensure that the information given was accurate.

 “The Jamaica Red Cross, as part of its Hurricane Dean Recovery and Rehabilitation phase, is assisting persons, in this case, the fishermen, who lost their main means of generating income, to get back on their feet by providing them with the necessary resources” said Sinclair.

The JRC’s livelihood recovery project is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.