Survivors traumatised months after London tower blaze
LONdON: Six months after a fire ripped through the Grenfell Tower apartment block in London killing 70, survivors are traumatised and bitter, saying they have been abandoned to their fate.
At the end of November, 208 households have found a permanent home, but there are still 123 others living in emergency accommodation, the majority in a hotel.
“You said this is history – this has not been history for me, I’ve lived this every day for the last six months,” said a young woman, trembling, during a meeting organised by the authorities on Tuesday.
Her mother lived on the 23rd floor of the building in west London, but was not at home when the blaze struck on the night of June 14.
Seventy people were killed in the fire, including a number of children, while a stillborn baby was recorded by police as a victim.
“My mum is going to be 67 and she is still in a hotel – she has been in a hotel for six months,” the woman said, criticising a “lack of empathy” from authorities.
With Christmas approaching, the director of the Justice4Grenfell Association, Judy Bolton, is worried about the families who fled the flames.
“Has anybody thought about the impact on those in hotels facing Christmas in one room with children, not being able to cook a Christmas dinner, to sit around the table?” she said.
“What have you put in place to ensure that these people don’t feel isolated, don’t feel left apart, don’t feel ignored?” Bolton asked.
Mary Weale, responsible for communities within Grenfell’s borough of Kensington and Chelsea, acknowledged that the festive season “is often a time of heightened stress, anxiety and depression”.
“As Christmas approaches we have to be particularly concerned about suicide risks,” said Weale.She explained that the council aimed “to identify people at risk and focus on them”.
Weale described mental heath as an “enormous issue”, recognising that survivors will need support for years to come. — AFP