By Dennise Williams, Staff Reporter 
Orane
SENIOR EXECUTIVES from Grace, Kennedy and Company Ltd. toured sections of downtown Kingston including Southside, Tel Aviv and Rae Town last Thursday. These communities are in the vicinity of the company's Harbour Street headquarters and were hard hit by Hurricane Ivan.
Members of the tour spoke with Sunday Business regarding their impressions of the areas and the way forward after the effects of Hurricane Ivan.
WARD MILLS, CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER
What I found was a fair amount of damage. The neighbourhoods downtown were not wonderful already but the hurricane made things worse. Trees fell and destroyed homes and water created further damage.
FAY MCINTOSH, DEPUTY CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
The biggest needs right now are food and electricity. The residents were already uncomfortable with their living conditions but with power lines down, it is just more terrible. The Jamaica Public Service has not come in to assess the damage or make repairs.
DOUGLAS ORANE, CHAIRMAN & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
The first thing I must say is how resilient Jamaicans are. For example, when we toured Foster Lane I saw a young man whose wooden home and bed were destroyed by a fallen tree. But he was there cutting up the tree because life had to go on. Those of us who complain that we don't have light and water but still have a house should take a lesson from this. That young man was positive in dire circumstances. Overall, people who had concrete homes with good roofs are relatively okay, as in the rest of Jamaica, but the individuals with wooden homes and zinc roofs suffered greatly.
JAMES MOSS-SOLOMON, CHIEF CORPORATE AFFAIRS OFFICER
Another big need right now is clean-up. When the trees are cut, we are considering bringing down a wood chipper to grind down the tree limbs and use them in the beautification of downtown. We got this idea from Devon House who will not be burning or throwing out fallen trees but instead recycling them.
Grace, Kennedy through their Grace, Kennedy/Western Union Build Back Jamaica Fund and their Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation will be doing the following:
* Distributing food.
* Distributing saws to cut wood.
* Helping to remove debris.
* Restocking two community grocery shops.
* Rebuilding the homes of selected individuals.
