DISPLACED residents who were left homeless by last month’s explosion in St Helier have paid emotional tribute to Islanders for the help they have received.
Five weeks on from the horrific events at the Haut du Mont flats, which resulted in the loss of ten lives and forced dozens to leave their homes with a few seconds’ notice, a group of survivors has moved to publicly acknowledge the actions of others to support them.
From the ‘blue light’ responders who were at the scene in Pier Road within minutes of the 4am explosion to support from their housing provider as well as from parishes, retailers, other local businesses and individuals who have taken them in, those affected have asked the JEP to share a roll-call of gratitude.
Survivors from many of the 30 flats that were left standing but had to be evacuated have been in regular touch and at a meeting earlier this week asked Jean Amiot, who lived at flat 22, to act as their spokesperson.
Mrs Amiot, a resident of Haut du Mont since the 1980s, said the group’s first thought was for those who had not survived the blast.
‘We want to express our condolences to the families of the friends and neighbours we lost,’ she said. ‘It was a small community and while we didn’t live in each other’s houses, it was a nice friendly place and many of us had some good friends there.
‘We were sitting at the Town Hall that morning and found ourselves looking round, and realising that some people weren’t there, it just made you think: oh God, where are they?’
Nine residents were confirmed to have died following the explosion on 10 December, including Mrs Amiot’s close friends Sylvia and Derek Ellis, and a tenth victim – Kathy McGinness – died in the General Hospital on Christmas Day.
While acknowledging that the process of getting their lives back together will be a lengthy road, Mrs Amiot said the group had been amazed by the response of Islanders.
She said: ‘I can’t tell you how amazing it’s been, The community has just rallied and there’s been help from all sides – it shows that people in Jersey haven’t forgotten how to look after each other.
‘To say thank you just isn’t enough – it’s hard to put it into words.’
In chronological order, the list of thanks started in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, with the emergency services.
‘They were there within minutes, ushering us up to the multi-storey car park from where we were taken by taxis to the Town Hall, and they’ve continued to help us since through the liaison officers and social workers,’ she said.
The parish of St Helier opened up the Town Hall and had provided hot drinks and food, while food, clothing and other items were provided by Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, Normans and through the Chamber of Commerce.
In the weeks after the event, further help has been offered in a range of forms – vouchers from Voisins, hampers from La Mare Wine Estate and La Place Hotel, phones and SIM cards from JT and Sure, free-of-charge appointments with GPs and a festive meal at a St Helier Hotel.
Mrs Amiot said: ‘We had a beautiful lunch at the Ommaroo at Havre des Pas on New Year’s Day. It was really nice that we could get together and chat.’
Members of the group have also met regularly over the ensuing weeks, with twice-weekly coffee mornings at St Clement’s Parish Hall that have provided an opportunity to compare notes and liaise with those who are assisting them, notably the police and Andium Homes.
‘Andium were helping right at the beginning and they have been absolutely fantastic in making us feel that we’d have somewhere to go and weren’t being left on our own – they have gone way beyond the call of duty, “thank you” just doesn’t cut it,’ Mrs Amiot said.
Though she conceded that the prospect of having to rebuild their lives at a relatively advanced stage in life was daunting, Mrs Amiot said that the help through the housing provider and insurance companies had made a significant difference.
‘I only had my dressing gown and slippers, but Islands Insurance were very quick to respond and by Monday [after the explosion on Saturday] they’d provided a loan car, because mine had been written off, and money to buy things with,’ she said.
The response of politicians was also acknowledged, specifically Chief Minister Kristina Moore and St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft.
Residents are now talking to Andium about the plan for their future housing needs.
Mrs Amiot said that while there had been no definite news about the future of the Haut du Mont site, she feared that her flat had been too badly damaged to ever allow her to return.
She added that some of those displaced might be moving into Andium’s new La Collette development, which will have a total of around 150 flats, with the first phase due to be completed in February and a subsequent phase in August.
Discussions are also taking place about what personal items could be retrieved from the flats.
Mrs Amiot said she particularly wanted to have her passport and photo albums back, but understood that access was a complex matter and needed to be carried out within health and safety guidelines.
While some Haut du Mont residents moved into temporary accommodation soon after the explosion, others like Mrs Amiot have been staying with family or friends, who formed one of the last – but certainly not least – entries on the long list of gratitude from the survivors.
