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This image indicates the path of the landslide that claimed the life of Raymond Gonsalves, 62, of Manning Village, Byera.  (Photo: Manson Shortte/Facebook)
This image indicates the path of the landslide that claimed the life of Raymond Gonsalves, 62, of Manning Village, Byera. (Photo: Manson Shortte/Facebook)
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Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says he would like his Trinidadian counterpart, Kamla Persad Bissessar, to join her predecessor, Patrick Manning, in having a village in St. Vincent named after her.

His statement on Saturday suggested an indication of the type of assistance that Gonsalves might be expecting from the oil-rich, twin-island republic after the 24/12/13 disaster which has left the housing stock in some areas in shambles.

Gonsalves made the statement as he briefed the media on the outcome of a high level meeting of local and regional officials in response to the devastation here, following a trough system on Christmas Eve.

Nine persons, including a Sharlani Headley, a 2-year-old baby visiting from Canada, and five members of one household in Rose Bank, have been confirmed dead and four persons are still missing.

Many houses were extensively damaged or destroyed by debris-laden floodwaters.

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Gonsalves said persons in some areas would have to be relocated, adding that in South River, a village in the constituency that he represents, a tremendous amount of drainage and river defence are needed, “because lives will be lost up there if we don’t”.

He said the same has to be done in Spring Village, Dark View, and Petit Bordel, three communities in North Leeward in northwest, St. Vincent, Retreat and Vermont in the southern interior, and Spring Village, Georgetown on the north-eastern coast.

Among the dead is Raymond Gonsalves, 62, of Manning Village, Byera, a cousin of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister noted the irony of his cousin’s death, saying he was among several persons moved from the seashore in Byera and Gorse after the passage of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

“He had a nice wall house toward the seas, but the ravages, for him and other persons, of wave action, were too sever, we moved them to a place call Manning Village, after Patrick Manning, because the government of Trinidad and Tobago had provided some resources.

“I would like very much to call a village Kamla Village,” Gonsalves said to laughter while looking at Admiral Richard Kelshall, regional security coordinator in the Office of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who also sat at the head table.

5 replies on “Gonsalves wants a ‘Kamla Village’ in St. Vincent”

  1. foreigners already own most of the country anyway why not give the rest to whoever cares to help us they may do a much better job of looking after the inferstructure to avoid this happening again .By the way i hope that those who died in the floods will have their names included when the airport is finished for theirs was the price paid in exchange for an airport .Well done papa and son .

  2. Ralph is SVG Sarah Palin. He’s a show boat and a false prophet, who likes to hear his own voice. Kamla Village! Uttering like this is why many people don’t believe what comes out of his mouth. Promises he does not and cannot keep and opinions of which he has no real data.

  3. Jannette Burke says:

    Mr. Jones, please don’t let your anger get the better of your. This is God at work. Your words can befall you. What have you done or what can you do for your native land. Are you a contributor in any way? Your name is already inscribed on…………………………..won’t complete.

  4. Jannette i hope you are giving of your all to you native country , just to let you know that i will will not be giving one cent living here is already more than enough ,when Vincentians can awake from their deep sleep and take stock of themselves by looking at the advances being made everywhere else while we continue to beg our daily bread ,while playing big king little king of the rocks with a big belly and nothing else and we seems happy to continue put up with it , “we like it so “mentality .Of course the rains are an act of nature but then so are Hurricanes and we are less than two months out of that season like someone pointed out ,the floods maybe were unavoidable but i believe it should not have been this bad even with the enormous amount of rain we had,especially kingstown , arnos vale , the “hospital ” ( a couple hundred feet from the sea ), can anyone remember for how long people have been complaining about rivers and gutters being blocked ? remember by the Calliaqua police station ? i cant remember the amount of phone calls i made to people who were suppose to be in charge .Then we sit on our hands do as if this could never befall us ,wait for this to happen then we tell everyone we are unable to help ourselves call the name of the Lord ( we cant forget that heaven forbid ) and go begging ,and who are we begging for and where will the monies collected go who will benefit after this ,one man and his son and their ideology .Wake up people smell the coffee you are being served.And yes i am ranting

  5. Do you all realise that if he left his money belt off he will be thin not what is called ‘Wun-Phatt-Pratt’

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