Help needed: wall of family’s home collapses
The Johnson family in New Rest have had to endure the bitter cold after one of the walls of their home collapsed, leaving their kitchen and a bedroom exposed.
Fortunately, no-one was injured.
Owner of the house, Esmeralda Johnson, said she was at home with her two-year-old son last Tuesday, at about 6pm, when the wall collapsed.
“Just when my eldest daughter walked out the house with my four- and five-year-old children, the wall fell to the ground, just like that,” she said.
Johnson, whose family have lived in the house for more than 50 years, said the walls had visible cracks and were “an accident waiting to happen”.
Calls for intervention were made to relevant parties before the incident.
Some residents recently gave donations to the family towards rebuilding the structure.
Petrus Johnson said: “There are a lot of good people in New Rest. I never knew there were people out there who were willing to assist.”
Esmeralda said: “We had people who stood on the street laughing at our situation. My generous neighbour Rosemary took us in and gave us a place to sleep.”
Petrus, who had just returned from work when the incident happened, said any form of assistance would be greatly appreciated.
“Though we called for intervention a while back, we understand there are a lot of people who are in need and facing more devastating situations. We would appreciate any help, be it building material, clothing or food.”
They can be contacted on 061-351-6310.