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| Grenfell Tower Fire Aftermath: 17 June 2017 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 17 2017, 10:09 AM (86 Views) | |
| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 10:09 AM Post #1 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) The Queen says UK is determined to 'rebuild lives' --The Queen has released a statement on her official birthday, saying the day is “traditionally a day of celebration” but “this year, however, it is difficult to escape a very sombre national mood.” She said: “In recent months, the country has witnessed a succession of terrible tragedies. As a nation, we continue to reflect and pray for all those who have been directly affected by these events. “During recent visits in Manchester and London, I have been profoundly struck by the immediate inclination of people throughout the country to offer comfort and support to those in desperate need.” The monarch visited the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital following the Manchester Arena attack in which 22 people were killed following an Ariana Grande concert. She added: “Put to the test, the United Kingdom has been resolute in the face of adversity. United in our sadness, we are equally determined, without fear or favour, to support all those rebuilding lives so horribly affected by injury and loss.” |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 11:00 AM Post #31 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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--Grenfell Tower victims, residents, volunteers and faith leaders have now been in No 10 for talks with Theresa May for more than two hours (Sam Lister, Press Association - 17 June 2017) |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 11:02 AM Post #32 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Cundy also addressed the concerns of members of the public who feel that the true death toll from the fire is being downplayed in an effort to dampen outrage. “I understand, I really do understand the fears of so many about not knowing the scale of the tragedy that is unfolding behind us,” he said. “You have my absolute assurance that as soon as I can tell you something that I know to be accurate I will tell you. The investigation will be extensive, my intention is that we will help provide answers.” |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 11:15 AM Post #33 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Cundy also appealed to anyone who may have escaped from the building, but has not yet come forward, to make themselves known. Of the 58 figure he gave, the Met commander said that 30 people were confirmed dead, while 16 bodies have been recovered from the Tower and taken to a mortuary. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 11:16 AM Post #34 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Victims made clear their demands to the prime minister in a two and a half hour meeting in Number 10. A man representing the group, who did not give his name, told reporters in Downing Street they would make a full statement “in the community”. He added that the group had spoken about their “demands and what we expect”. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 11:21 AM Post #35 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) A spokeswoman for the mayor of London has told the Guardian that the British Red Cross is now leading the volunteer effort on the ground around Grenfall Tower. However, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross has said she was not aware of the news. The mayor’s spokeswoman said that the information had just come from today’s Grenfall Tower task force meeting, chaired by Theresa May, where it was also announced that John Barradell, chief executive of the City of London corporation, would be taking charge of the overall recovery operation. The spokeswoman also said that she had been told that as far as coordination of relief efforts was concerned “the situation was improving”, after days of criticism from volunteers that they had been working without any crisis response framework from the authorities. But when we called the press office of the British Red Cross to confirm that they were taking the lead of the volunteer efforts, their spokeswoman was unable to confirm that this was the case. “That news hasn’t reached me yet,” she said. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 11:50 AM Post #36 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has confirmed that a London-wide local authority recovery operation in response to the Grenfall Tower fire was launched yesterday. The unexplained delay in launching the operation will infuriate those on the ground who feel that there has been a lack of any kind of local crisis management response to help deal with the aftermath of the inferno. In a Facebook post following a meeting of the Grenfall Tower task force, Khan said he raised several points, including the need for clearer direction on the ground for those affected; the urgency of rehousing efforts; concerns of other residents of high-rise blocks of flats; and the need for the forthcoming public inquiry into the disaster to be as broad, transparent and accessible as possible. It is only in the penultimate paragraph of his message that he reveals that the “London-wide local authority recovery operation” was only implemented yesterday - two days after the fire which ripped through Grenfall Tower. It will be led “by a number of local authority chief executives,” he added. Separately, a spokeswoman for Khan told the Guardian that this recovery operation would be led by John Barradell, chief executive of the City of London corporation, and would include the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, scotching rumours that the borough, which has been subjected to intense criticism, had been removed from relief efforts. The spokeswoman referred the Guardian to the City of London corporation press office for more information. However, phone calls to its press contacts went unanswered on Friday afternoon. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 12:02 PM Post #37 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) More from the briefing given this afternoon by Met Police commander Stuart Cundy. He warned that the time it would take for the search and recovery operation would be “significant”. “Both myself and colleagues from London Fire Brigade have already said it will take weeks. It may take longer than that. My commitment to families is that as soon as we can, we will locate and recover their loved ones. The reason we had to pause the search and recovery yesterday was for the safety of our staff. We do not want another fatality arising out of this tragedy.” |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 12:25 PM Post #38 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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![]() (The Guardian) Family liaison officers are working with 52 families, and as soon as victims are identified, their loved ones will be told, Stuart Cundy said. At this point in time we have 16 people who have been recovered to the mortuary. I absolutely understand the frustration of why figures haven’t been released earlier. The reason for that - at one point, in terms of our casualty bureau, there were 400 people who were reported missing from Grenfell Tower. Grenfell Tower itself is 120 flats. We have worked tirelessly over the last four days to truly understand those that we know were there on the night. I understand - I really do understand - the frustration of so many about not knowing the scale of the tragedy that is unfolding behind us. I have said it before, you have my absolute assurance that as soon as I can possibly tell you something that I know to be accurate, I will tell you.” |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 02:39 PM Post #39 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) At the club room on the Henry Dickens estate, a stone’s throw from the blackened remains of Grenfell Tower, the community have set up an emotional and therapy support centre. It offers “art therapy for kids in the area, and counsellors for people who want a chat about what they saw that night”. All the therapists are volunteering their time. The organisers asked for help getting word out to locals who might want to use their services. There are concerns about the mental health not just of survivors but hundreds or perhaps thousands in the local community who witnessed the horror of that evening first hand, or woke up to find their friends and neighbours dead and the tower a smouldering ruin. Many knew people in the tower, or live in similar towers themselves. NHS mental health services are already badly over-stretched, so as in other areas of the relief and rescue effort, a close-knit and resilient community are organising for themselves. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 02:40 PM Post #40 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Theresa May’s statement comes after she met earlier today with 15 victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, volunteers and community leaders. I have heard the concerns and I have ordered immediate action across the board to help victims’ relatives and the survivors. People lost everything in the fire and were left in only the clothes they were wearing. I can confirm that a £5m emergency fund that I announced yesterday is now being distributed on the ground so people can buy clothes, food and other essentials. If more funding is required, it will be provided,” the prime minister said. May has set a deadline of three weeks for all those affected to be found a home nearby and she has requested daily progress reports. “I have ordered that more staff be deployed across the area, wearing high visibility clothing, so they can easily be found, dispense advice and ensure the right support is provided. Phone lines will have more staff,” she added. |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 02:42 PM Post #41 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) More from the prime minister’s statement: “Victims have concerns their voice will not be heard, that their many questions about this tragedy will not be answered. That is why I ordered a public inquiry, with the costs for providing victims with legal representation met by government. The inquiry will be open and transparent. Government and ministers will cooperate fully. I anticipate the name of the judge will be announced within the next few days and that an open meeting will be held with residents to help shape the terms of reference. It has been decided today that the public inquiry will report back to me personally. As prime minister, I will be responsible for implementing its findings.” |
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| Webster | Jun 17 2017, 02:43 PM Post #42 |
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Wasatch Storyteller & Resident Forum Curmudgeon
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(The Guardian) Summary - 1:06ppm --Prime minister Theresa May said support for families who needed help or basic information after the Grenfell Tower fire “was not good enough”. She has vowed to ensure all those affected can be found a home nearby within three weeks and that more staff would be available on the groud and on phone lines to provide help. --58 people are now missing, presumed dead, following the fire on Wednesday morning, Met Police commissioner Stuart Cundy said. That figure included the 30 people who have been confirmed dead, meaning the death toll has risen by 28. --19 people remain in hospital, of whom 10 are receiving critical care. --16 bodies are now in a mortuary; 15 were recovered from the building while one person died in hospital. --The first victim has been formally identified as 23-year-old Mohammed Alhajali, who lived in Grenfell Tower. Victims met with prime minister Theresa May in a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at Number 10 but gave few details after leaving Downing Street. --Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said a city-wide local authority recovery operation in response to the Grenfall Tower fire was launched on Friday. --Volunteers from across London and as far away as Birmingham poured into north Kensington on Saturday to offer help. |
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