Black Immigrant Daily News

News

Myrtle Benjamin being rescued by Mon Repos fire officers after her vehicle stalled in flood waters along the San Fernando By-pass road, near South park. The vehicle behind her was swept away by the flood waters. – Photo by Lincoln Holder

Two drivers, an elderly woman and a 24-year-old man, escaped death while trying to drive through floods on the San Fernando ByPass Road near the roundabout near South Park on Friday afternoon.

The man, Timothy Mohammed from Siparia, managed to get out of his car before it was washed into a river.

Myrtle Benjamin stuck her car, had to be rescued by Mon Repos fire officers after her vehicle stalled in flood waters along the San Fernando By-pass road, near South park. The vehicle behind her was swept away by the flood waters. – Photo by Lincoln Holder

But Myrtle Benjamin, who is in her 70s, was trapped in her minivan in rising water. The van had stalled, and she was unable to get out.

Both drivers were heading towards Marabella.

Mon Repos fire officers toted Benjamin out of her van and carried her through the floodwater.

“I kept praying for God to send angels, and he did,” she said, referring to the fire officers.

She also praised Mohammed and an eyewitness, Allon Moonah, for offering her words of encouragement during the ordeal.

“They kept telling me to stay calm.”

Mon Repos fire officers look at the damaged driven by Timothy Mohommed which was washed away by flood waters along the San Fernando By-pass road, near South Park – Photo by Lincoln Holder

The road was impassable for over an hour before the water subsided and traffic flowed freely.

Insp Phillip and other police from the Southern Division visited the scene.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

Ante el hallazgo este viernes, de un cuerpo en estado de descomposición en un edificio del Departamento de la Familia en Bayamón, las uniones locales 3234 y 3227 de Servidores Públicos Unidos de Puerto Rico, que representan sindicalmente a este personal solicitaron a la secretaria de dicha agencia Carmen Ana González Magaz a que se asegure de que en el edificio se realice una limpieza forense que incluya los conductos de aire.

“En este tipo de situación debemos asegurarnos de que la salud de nuestros miembros, así como de los que visitan estas oficinas, no se vean afectadas. Por eso le reclamamos al patrono que antes de que se reanuden las labores el martes, 6 de septiembre se nos garantice que se realizará una limpieza de desechos biológicos que incluya desinfección y cambios de filtros en los conductos de aire“, expresó Solimar Hernández, presidenta de local sindical en declaraciones escritas.

Por su parte la presidenta de SIPAA, Local 3227 SPUPR-AFSCME, Sonia Delgado recalcó la importancia de que en todas las dependencias del Departamento de la Familia deben asegurarse de que diariamente las facilidades sean limpiadas, así como que la seguridad del lugar verifique todos los espacios, incluidos los baños.

“En este caso la limpieza que se hace en el lugar es privada al igual que la seguridad. El DFAM debe garantizarnos que las facilidades están limpias y seguras”, dijo.

Señalaron que inclusive los protocolos de COVID están vigentes por lo que no hay razón para que la limpieza no sea diaria y que nadie se percatara de un cuerpo hasta que estuviese en estado de descomposición.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

En horas de la noche de ayer, se reportó la muerte de una mujer en la carretera #2 en la parte posterior de un concesionario de autos en Vega Alta.

De acuerdo a la información preliminar, luego de que se recibiera una llamada a través del Sistema  de Emergencias 911, alertando sobre una situación sospechosa, al llegar los agentes al lugar, localizaron dentro de un vehículo Toyota Corolla color azul del año 1978, el cuerpo de una mujer que aún no ha sido identificada (Jane Doe).     

Paramédicos de la Oficina Municipal del Manejo de Emergencias de Vega Alta indicaron la ausencia de signos vitales.  

El agente García Batista y la fiscal Linda Sepúlveda, se hicieron cargo de la investigación, que aún continúa. No se descarta una posible sobredosis.   

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

The first set of vaccines to treat the Monkeypox disease is expected to arrive this month, says Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton.

“We have a priority group that will be targeted, similarly to what we [did] with the COVID-19 [vaccine distribution], and once they arrive, we will offer it to that group,” the minister said.

This comes as the island has recorded several cases of the disease, just before the beginning of the 2022/23 school year.

Speaking at the Open House & Exhibition ceremony for the rehabilitation of public health facilities in St. Catherine, held at the Church of the Open Bible in Twickenham Park on Wednesday, August 31, Tufton called on parents to be vigilant.

“If there is any problem at all, go to your parish health office or report to your school nurse,” he added.

Tufton advised that the same health and safety protocols that were in place to manage the spread of the COVID-19 virus within schools will also be maintained throughout the new school year.

These include abiding by social-distancing protocols, wearing masks, frequent handwashing and designated areas for sanitisation on school grounds, among others.

“The Ministry and the Ministry of Education and Youth work closely together. There are briefing sessions; we work with the school nurses [and] guidance counsellors; the schools are aware of what to look for and the recommendations to health centres, doctors [and] hospitals,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Senior Medical Officer for the Spanish Town Hospital and Consultant Paediatrician, Jacqueline Wright James, said there is no need for panic, as the “[monkeypox case] numbers aren’t significantly high in Jamaica”.

“And more so for children, they are less infected than the adults. We have seen some paediatric cases worldwide and, therefore, it is not impossible for a child to contract monkeypox,” she pointed out.

“We have come through the COVID-19 pandemic for the last two and a half years and those measures that we enforced to reduce the spread are really the same measures that we will enforce for monkeypox,” Dr. Wright James added.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

News

Trevor James –

THA Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development Trevor James has admitted to a resource challenge in the Show Me A Road Tobago (SMART) project.

The SMART programme is an online platform through which members of the public can report potholes.

Admitting to the hindrance on the Tobago Updates morning show on Friday, James said the response time is not as speedy as was expected.

“I apologise for that. It is a situation where we met equipment down all over the place, rental and lease (of equipment) that spanned $20 million per year…

“We are hoping this end of year some monies would become available and we can buy some new spreaders and some mobile equipment to improve our fleet.

“Hopefully, come October, we’ll see an increase and improvement in the response for Show Me A Road.”

He claimed that nevertheless the programme was going well.

“People continue – because of what we’ve been trying to do with this pothole programme. Bear with us, all the holes are going to be repaired in due course. Bear with us, Tobago, the fix-it crew are on the job.”

On the City of Scarborough project, he said it was going ahead, saying the consultation phase has ended.

“We’ve had the most extensive consultations ever seen, probably, in TT.

“The contract has been signed off with the contractors and a kick-off meeting is planned for the last week of September.”

He said the design work will begin soon.

“We’ve had several proposals to move the cruise ship complex into Scarborough from three or four people who want to build that for us – design-build-finance – and so things are going to move, things are going to jump ahead quickly in the first quarter of this fiscal (year) coming and in the new year.”

In December 2020, James identified a 12-point plan to revitalise Scarborough, including expanding its boundaries, addressing traffic congestion and modernising the area to promote business activity. The plan, he said, also includes a new ferry terminal, a roundabout and a museum.

Plans also include repurposing the Botanical Gardens in downtown Scarborough, rebuilding the Scarborough Esplanade along Milford Road to include duty-free shopping, as well as hotels, marina and a craft centre. He said there are also plans to beautify Carrington Street, near the Botanical Gardens, with benches, trees and free Wi-Fi, as well as an amphitheatre.

NewsAmericasNow.com