Language Barrier Could Slow Barry County Cleanup
By
KSPR News
Story Created:
May 12, 2008
Story Updated:
May 12, 2008
“My mobile home was gone but my family was okay and I was okay,” says Adriana Vella, a native of Mexico who now calls Missouri home.
Everything Vella and her family had acquired during the past eight years here was in this mobile home.
Everything except the one purchase that saved their lives.
"They say, the meteorologist, (the storm was coming) and we went to the storm shelter here,” Vella says.
So, Vella and 15 members of her family and friends piled into a storm shelter they built on their land after the 2003 tornados.
"We're going to start cleaning up (now),” Vella says after surveying the damage.
But cleanup could be challenging for Vella.
Coming from Mexico, she speaks the most English in the family.
"In the community we do have translators,” says Barry County Sheriff Mickey Epperly.
But, there are no translators currently working for the Barry County Sheriffs Department.
"We may encounter that in the future with them asking for help and we may have to get a translator to understand their language and everything to assist how we can,” Epperly says.
"We don't know if they have anyone who can speak Spanish,” Vella says.
They don't know because, no one has been around.
"Just the friends, we haven't heard from police or anyone,” says Vella.
To help fund cleanup efforts, Congressman Roy Blunt said Monday representatives from FEMA and the Small Business Administration will be in town by Tuesday.
Tuesday, May 13 at 10:37 AM Tim Houston wrote ...
The Barry County Sheriff's Office would benefit greatly by using SpeechGuard, a handheld language translator used by over 300 law enforcement agencies. More so, it would benefit the population they serve.
Tuesday, May 13 at 1:54 AM James wrote ...
A Poem for thoese who died Poem: We morn the loss of the ones we LOVED. For we loved them Form thier Head to thier Toes But GOD'S in his wisdom knows that thoes who were chosen. Will now shine just as the sun is Goden.
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