Sea erosion continues to have serious toll on residents of various coastal communities along Monrovia Atlantic coast, with some 500 of them being made homeless this week in the Sinkor suburb.
The Liberian government has been sourcing some international support to put in place coastal defense measures. But sea erosion victims in the People’s United Community (PUC) at 20th street think not much is being done to ease their plight.
Now, just days before national elections, they have threatened to boycott the pending October 10, 2017 Legislative and Presidential elections, claiming that they have been neglected.
PUC is one of the largest impoverished slum Communities located behind the state owned referral hospital, the John F. Kennedy Medical Center.
Some of the victims of the latest sea erosion told this reporter that the disaster struck at about 3:00 AM on Wednesday morning to their dismay.
Because of their distress, some of them have vowed not to take part in next Tuesday’s polls.
’’We are sheltering in school buildings and churches, while others sleep with friends and open places since the incident,’’ said one of the sea erosion victim who identified herself as Grace, age 19.
Grace and other complain that their plight has brought shame to them, as some friends and other community residents throw hint at them for being displaced people.
Solomon Logan, another victim of the Sinkor sea erosion, who looked visibly frustrated, said they met some politicians in the electoral race, who refused to help them yet they want their votes.
He said time is running out but their threat not to vote might not be effected if relief reaches them. ‘’If anyone comes to us now, by either providing sleeping area, food, clothes or have us relocated we all plain to vote that person,’’ Logan said.
T. Boy, another sea erosion victim believed to be in his early 30s described their People’s United community as ‘’disbanded‘’.
‘’We will not vote because we done have place to sleep, our children are not in school and most of all we have been abandoned by government and all the candidates in the race,’’ T. Boy added.
The Sinkor sea erosion victims are for food, clothing and other items to restart their lives, as some of them as said to have been unable to salvage their personal belongings washed away by the Atlantic Ocean.
Over the past year, several other coastal communities in Monrovia including West Point and New Kru Town have been affected by sea erosion. Report by Alfred Kollie