SunExcavations helps disaster-hit family |22 February 2013

He said he learned that his former media colleague had been affected when Nation reported about the Housing Finance Company staff giving their colleague Elizabeth Thande a donation to help them repair some of the damage their house suffered.

“We are so grateful SunExcavations came to our help. We had not even known the extent of the damage because the rocks were still covering parts of the wall they rested on after rolling downhill,” said Mr Thande, who said the family got help from many other people but preferred that relief first be given to those whose situations were worse.

“The district authorities visited us and did what they could. The Seychelles People’s Defence Forces personnel also came just when we were battling the floods and dug a channel that diverted the floods away, and the district had promised to come next week to remove more of the debris left behind, but we are grateful Mr Lafortune has helped to do that, leaving the emergency response team free to help another families,” said Mr Thande.

He said they are using the money given by the HFC staff to repair external pipe work that was crushed by the rocks.

Mr Lafortune – a former cameraman with the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation – referred to Mr Thande as a former colleague and said he was happy to offer his services to the family for free in the light of the disaster they found themselves in. The family’s house was completely flooded.

“I’ve known the family for long and at one time I travelled with George for training overseas,” he said.
The grateful family recalled some time back Mr Lafortune converted analogue tapes into digital format for the Revived Christian Fellowship of Seychelles which is headed by Mr Thande.