Fund organised to assist elderly lady who lost everything in fire

Sandra Catron

This is the home of an elderly resident Verniece
Ebanks of Newlands which was gutted by fire.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

The personal tragedy of an elderly lady in Newlands has struck a chord of sympathy with residents and has resulted in efforts to help her rebuild her life.

The home of eighty-nine year-old Villa �Verniece� Ebanks caught fire during the night of 22 July, and this resulted in her losing all her belongings.

At around 9:30 pm last Friday night, Police, Fire Control and Paramedics responded to a fire on Ms Ebanks� home on Hurst Road, Newlands.

The four-bedroom house was almost completely gutted by fire before being extinguished by fire control officers. Ms Ebanks and her forty-three year old daughter were in the home, but escaped unhurt.

Police suspect that the fire was started by a lighted cigarette falling onto the bed and the mattress catching fire.

Although Ms Ebanks did not appear to suffer any major injuries during the fire, she has lost everything and, in the senior years of her life, would find it hard to start again.

Sandra Catron, a friend of Ms Ebanks and a community activist decided that something had to be done. She told Cayman Net News that Ms Ebanks is not very mobile and will need temporary housing.

�I am sure that we can all sympathize with her situation,� said Ms Catron. �It�s a horrible loss and it�s during times like this that we should pull together and help each other out.�

She said she would be speaking with the various community leaders and workers in the Bodden Town area to see how everyone can best assist her. With the opening of a bank account for a fund drive to help Ms Ebanks, the help has already started to arrive. Several people have already donated and at least one donation is fairly substantial.

�I am hopeful that we can begin to pool our efforts by sometime this week,� said Ms Catron, who added that people wishing to help Ms Ebanks can contact her at 526 0449. Or they can also contact Heather Bodden at 916 3574 and Ossie Osbourne at 916 4439. In addition, people wishing to donate funds for Ms Ebanks can make a deposit at First Caribbean Bank under Sav-New Community Group, CI$ current account #811-4218 and US$ account #811-4919.

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