By Calvin Quays|LPR News, West Point
Five thousand Victims of sea erosion in the Township of West Point in Montserrado County have appealed to central government to intervene in their situation.
According to them, the recent sea erosion in the Township of West Point destroyed several houses within the Township leaving more than 5,000 people homeless who are going through difficulties to restart lives.
They told the Liberia Public Radio Wednesday in an exclusive interview in West Point that sea erosion has been posing serious threat on their living condition over the years in the Township, but the central government has not being able to prevent the ocean from destroying their homes.
They complained that since the sea erosion hit their homes and destroyed their properties, they have not yet received any help from government officials and other humanitarian organizations.
Many homes in the Liberian capital Monrovia were recently hard-hit by sea erosion following a heavy downpour of rain.
They explained that currently, several of them are sleeping in school and church buildings due to the current situation and hoped that central government and other prominent Liberians will soon come to their aid.
Some of the victims suggested that government need to relocate or resettle the inhabitants of the township to different location because the sea continue to invade their homes.
Ruling party failing own partisans?
Our reporter said many inhabitants of the slum community of West Point are fishmongers with more than 1,000 people accounting for that number of people in the township.
The West pointers told LPR that many of them are supporters of the ruling party that brought president Weah to power but he has “failed to seek their plight”.
They want government to build a coastal defense system to protect them against the sea erosion similar to New Kru in order to save their properties from destruction from the ocean.
One of the victim identified as Diamond Seeward, a family of 40 members including men, women and children as well as grandchildren house was completely damaged by the sea and are seeking shelter at the House of Faith Academy in the township.
Miss Seeward who is a student has called on the Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor and well-meaning Liberians to assist her in order to continue schooling after the resumption of classes.
She noted that sea erosion in township has created serious setback for the Seeward’s family and as a young girl, and at the same time hampering of desire to complete secondary school.
Environmentalists say the sea erosion situation in the Township of West Point has been an old age problem confronting past and current governments of which predates as far back as the Tolbert’s era.
Many government estates including the New Georgia, Matadi, Cabral were constructed to relocated inhabitants of the West Point community along the sea cost but many of them refused, one report added.
West Point Sea Erosion continues to make thousands homeless for several decades if nothing is done by central government to remedy the situation.
