Following The Tragedy of the Grenfell Tower Fire, The Queen Made The Following Statement, and The Queen & Prince William Visited The Westway Refuge Centre To Pay Tribute To The Victims, Rescuers & The Volunteers:-
“My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost loved ones in the Grenfell Tower fire and the many people who are still critically ill in hospital.” The Queen & Prince Philip also praised the fire services who were at the scene within minutes, saying “Prince Philip and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services officers who put their own lives at risk to save others,” the statement read. “It is also heartening to see the incredible generosity of community volunteers rallying to help those affected by this terrible event.”
Elizabeth R.
When a tragedy occurs such as this, it is always amazing to see the way in which people come together to help survivors, their families and others who have been affected. Our everyday heroes, who will do anything at all that they can to help in such an absolutely horrific situation.
Following the Grenfell Tower Tragedy, people came from far and wide to help donate and distribute food, clothing, toiletries, water, blankets, toys and generally offer support and love to those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy.
The ‘distribution process’ whereby the aid is sent from the relief centres to the distribution areas, where the survivors can pick up the aid they need is organised entirely by volunteers, who travelled from as far as Birmingham, Leicester, and Newcastle, and other areas across London, the South East and Sussex. The volunteers pack up the aid, forming a human chain and pass it into the vehicles for distribution, (and have been working for many hours.)
People of all faiths have come together, helping to search for relatives of other people’s families in hospitals and relief centres, local people opened their doors to offer accommodation, and leaders of local sports centres, community halls and places of worship all opened their doors within minutes of the tragedy, so that the survivors had an immediate place of refuge.
People Also Came Together To Pay Tribute To Tragic Victims By Holding Vigils, And Laying Flowers And Lighting Candles
Local resident Mark Thomas, said that as soon as he realised how serious the situation was, he alerted as many of his neighbours as he could about the fire, in any way he could. As did Humraz Khan and his friends, who also helped people in the building by communicating with them, and alerted the firefighters as to which people were trapped, giving them their door numbers and floor numbers.
Dany Cotton, the Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade said that the situation was unprecedented in the fact that the fire engulfed the whole building from top to bottom, making the rescue operation extremely complicated, not least because of the heat of up to 1000 degrees within.
Dany said that there was no hesitation from the fire fighters.
They just kept trying and trying to get to the residents in any way they possibly could,
risking their own lives to save them and that they were never going to stop until they physically couldn’t get in there any more.
The firefighters worked tirelessly, and when they did eventually stop for a break, the anguish was clear
All divisions of the emergency services seamlessly worked together to provide support and assistance to help each other perform their jobs to the very best of their ability.
(Police Officers using their shields to help the firefighters entering the tower, to prevent burning debris from falling on them is just one of many examples.)
Whether you were in the vicinity of this horrifying event or not, (and saw it on the television or on social media instead) the memories of the Grenfell Tower Fire will haunt everyone who witnessed it forever. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the injured, the victims families and anyone in the Community who have been affected.
Theresa May visited the Grenfell Tower today, to see the scene for herself, whilst also speaking to the emergency services. When she returned to Downing Street she ordered a full Public Inquiry into the incident.
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Once again, The Triumph Of The Human Spirit Is In Evidence, As So Often Is The Case That During The Worst Of Times, You Sometimes See The Very Best In Humanity With The Bravery, Solidarity, Kindness And Quick-Thinking Of The Emergency Services And Members Of The Local Community And General Public Alike.
Words by Amanda Waters
© Amanda Waters