The Government has set into motion a promise to return normality to the lives of residents of Walkers Avenue in Gregory Park, St Catherine, the scene of a daring attack by members of gang who firebombed houses, resulting in two people being killed and over 40 others left homeless.

Member of Parliament for East Central, St Catherine, Alando Terrelonge, says the Government is in the process of collecting booklists from the residents of the Mexico community and Walkers Avenue to ensure that the children affected are prepared for the upcoming school term.

The support is being provided under Operation Phoenix, an initiative launched by the Government to help the victims of the two firebombing incidents recover and rebuild their communities.

Significantly, Terrelonge said that the Government will underwrite the funeral expenses for 28-year-old taxi operator Raneel Haughton, who was shot and killed by gunmen during the attack, as well as provide back-to-school support for his family.

“He has a six-year-old daughter, so I met with his mom last week and, of course, we will be taking care of his daughter’s tuition needs. We will be assisting with the funeral as well. And for the other residents, we’ve been assisting with school supplies, clothing, and personal items,” Terrelonge told Our Today.

“We have started collecting the book lists. Some persons had the booklist on their mobile devices that were destroyed in the fire, and also those who had the physical booklist those were all destroyed, so they have been going to the schools to get the booklist. We’re talking over 30 children here from both communities, so we’re awaiting the booklist so we can go ahead and purchase the books for them,” he added.

The MP noted that corporate entities such as GraceKennedy and Kingston Bookshop have been instrumental in assisting residents with the necessary supplies, and the Government is grateful for the support.

Additionally, he shared that the Housing, Opportunity, Production, and Employment (HOPE) Programme has visited Gregory Park on multiple occasions to assess the area and plans to rebuild.

According to Terrelonge, recent discussions with HOPE have revealed that they are now in the design phase for building housing units in both communities.

“From the ashes of Gregory Park, we will rise. We will rise stronger. We will rebuild lives, homes, and livelihood,” he emphasised.

Four houses were recently firebombed in the Mexico community, also in Gregory Park, leaving more than 10 people homeless. Less than two weeks later, on August 12, a similar firebombing incident occurred along Walkers Avenue, resulting in two deaths, 11 houses destroyed, and more than 40 homeless.