Latest news with #survivors
Fox News
an hour ago
- General
- Fox News
Texas flood recovery volunteers find dignity in helping victims
Janice Riley took off her shoe, thinking a rock had gotten stuck inside while she was volunteering in flood-devastated Kerrville, Texas, but was surprised to find a bent nail lodged in the sole, just centimeters from her foot. "It reminds me of the verse that says, 'How beautiful are the feet that bring good news', she said while laughing." Riley was working along the Guadalupe River, but that nail didn't stop her from cleaning up mud-soaked houses and attempting to piece together devastated lives. As she walked into each house, she saw the aftermath of the flood marked by water stains several feet high on the wall. TEXAS FLOOD SURVIVORS LOOK FOR GOD IN THE FACE OF TRAGEDY While removing gunk, sweeping and prepping homes for installation, Riley ran into a homeowner in search of meaningful family heirlooms in a sea of debris and filth. Amid the rubble, Riley stumbled upon a wooden box already beginning to mold, filled with gold and silver. As she and the homeowner opened it, a sigh of relief overcame them, since the survivor had prayed she would find it. "You couldn't help but cry at her excitement of finding those treasures," said Riley. "It wouldn't mean anything to us, but it meant something to her." To Riley, that's what matters, and she will remember that as the highlight of volunteering. But then she paused. The moment she reconciled the gravity of her community's situation, she began to cry. "It's not going to be back to normal anytime soon," she said. "There's still water over the low water crossing, and just how much of the river is destroyed, and the area." The tears started to flow. The once beautiful cypress trees, decades old, that stood beautifully, are now gone. She said she feels nothing's going to be the same. "It just kind of sinks in, it's not like a week and a month will pass this, and we'll be back to normal," she said. That new reality survivors face is something Michelle Annette saw as a volunteer for the Salvation Army, where flood victims are surviving out of warehouses and donation bins. As she arrived, on her first day, she was assigned to organize clothing donations for victims. Sounds easy enough. Until Annette was given a direction that didn't sit right with her. "If you come across any clothing items that you think could potentially be used for funerals for the victims, put 'em in bins over here," Michelle was told. "We're going to set those aside." That's when it hit her. "If I pull out a nice dress or something that was donated, I have to think, would this be something I would want my sister buried in, or my aunt buried in or something?" she pondered. 'RIVER OF ANGELS' MEMORIAL RISES IN KERRVILLE AS FLOOD VICTIMS REMEMBERED To her, it's more than just a bin. It represents humanity. How can an outfit she picks begin to encapsulate the body of a stranger, once full of life? Not too far away, Lisa Aguillen, a San Antonio resident, also had a moment with death she couldn't shake. As she drove down to Kerrville with friends in their ministry's van, they came upon what seemed to be a horrific movie scene. Men clouded by smoke as they used chainsaws to cut through huge mounds of trees. The rhythmic whooping grew louder in the air as search helicopters made their way for the missing. Then came the moment that changed her. "I saw a body lifted out of a river in a bag," she said. "I was very angry with God on that drive home. Why, God, did you allow those children to pass in such a horrific manner?" she asked. As she contemplated that question, Annette remained at the Salvation Army, trying to stay present and focusing on the survivors piling into the warehouse. The more that flowed in, the more heartbreaking stories she would overhear. One man whose house was washed away stood out. "He had nothing but the clothes on his back and the shoes on his feet. He didn't have his ID, and he didn't have a car," said Annette. She handed him underwear, a razor and a shirt. At that moment, Annette realized he would have to rebuild his life with those items. FAITH BRINGS LIGHT TO DEVASTATED TEXAS TOWN AFTER DEADLY FLOODING DISASTER Seeing the wreckage in Kerrville, Aguillen understood that even with donations, survivors had little. As she reflected, she was more motivated to make a difference. Aguillen knew she could rely on contacts from her insurance company, Texas United Insurance Services, LLC, for donations for a cause bigger than herself. "I came to the office this week and started calling every business owner in my book," she said. So far, she has raised $5,000 and plans to drive back down to Kerrville and hand it out to people in need. Although she feels it may not be a lot of money, she says every bit counts. "I want to see these people go to the bank and cash and have cash in hand," she said. "I can bless several, several families with $500 a piece, and that's what I intend on doing." Although the volunteers, Riley, Annette and Aguillen faced hardship while spending hours putting themselves through hard work, they realized their service had in their community and brought power to the lives of those they were serving. Annette summed it up in one word. "Time," she said. "It is our most valuable commodity, and what makes it so valuable is that we can't make more of it. So how we decide to spend it speaks so much more than just donating."
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
More than 100 survivors of alleged sexual abuse enter Harrods' scheme for compensation
More than 100 survivors of alleged sexual abuse by the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed have entered the company's compensation scheme, the luxury department store has confirmed. The retailer set up the scheme after dozens of women came forward with allegations of abuse by the late entrepreneur going back as far as 1977 after the broadcast last year of the BBC documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. On Tuesday, Harrods confirmed applicants to a compensation scheme set up in March had started receiving compensation. Those eligible can apply for a number of types of redress including general damages of up to £200,000 and a work impact payment of up to £150,000 as well as payments for 'wrongful testing' and treatment costs. All eligible applicants are offered a meeting with a senior Harrods' representative to receive an apology in person or by video, as well as an individual written apology. The scheme, developed with law firm MPL Legal and funded by Harrods, will remain live until 31 March next year. The company has stressed that the scheme does not require survivors to undergo medical assessment and claims can be based on 'documentary evidence' without alleged victims having to speak in person about their experiences. In a three-month update, the store announced that survivors who were employed by Fayed's private airline company Fayair (Jersey) Co Ltd and claim to have suffered abuse before 7 May 2010 – when Al Fayed sold the business – can now also apply to the scheme. 'Since the redress scheme's inception, more than 100 survivors have entered the process, with many having had eligibility confirmed,' Harrods said. 'Compensation awards and interim payments began being issued to eligible survivors at the end of April. Survivors are making use of both the non-medical and medical pathways.' The Metropolitan police said last year that 111 women had made allegations against Fayed, the youngest of whom is thought to have been 13 at the time. The force has apologised to alleged victims of Fayed for the distress they had suffered. Complaints against the Met over its handling of allegations will be investigated by the force itself under the direction of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The Met is also reviewing 21 allegations that were made before Fayed died in 2023, and referred two of these to the IOPC in November. In documents on the scheme's website, Harrods 'apologises unreservedly' for the sexual abuse people suffered and 'wants everyone who is eligible to receive this compensation'. If a person makes a successful application and accepts an offer, it is treated as 'full and final settlement', meaning they waive their right to pursue action for damages. Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
More than 100 survivors of Mohamed Al Fayed's abuse claim compensation
More than 100 victims of Mohamed Al Fayed's abuse have entered a compensation scheme opened by Harrods on 31 March, the luxury department store has started issuing compensation at the end of April and the scheme remains open for new applications until 31 March for the scheme has been extended to employees of one of Fayed's private airline companies, Fayair (Jersey) Co Ltd, Harrods also said that it has filed a case at the High Court asking for the executors of Fayed's estate to be replaced following the lack of "any progress" in resolving his affairs since he died in 2023. This is to "ensure the Estate is responsibly administered, [and to] to protect any assets in the Estate for the benefit of potential claimants", Harrods BBC has contacted representatives of the Fayed family for also said that "feedback from survivors continues to be listened to whether raised directly or via legal firms or Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, the Independent Survivor Advocate".Multiple women who worked for the former department store owner who died last year have accused him of rape and sexual March Harrods said victims of abuse by the former Harrods owner could receive up to £385,000 in compensation plus treatment costs if they agree to be assessed by a consultant psychiatrist. Survivors who do not choose to be medically assessed by a psychiatrist will receive lower BBC's Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods heard testimony from more than 20 female ex-employees at Harrods who said Fayed sexually assaulted or raped more women sent the BBC their accounts of abuse by Fayed including sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape after the documentary and podcast were published in was not charged before his death.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Cook County Board to hold hearing on systemic failures in addressing domestic violence
Thousands of domestic violence cases and orders of protection get filed in Cook County every year. CBS News Chicago has been investigating the systemic failures that have left survivors at risk. On Tuesday, the Cook County Board of Commissioners will hold a hearing on what needs to be fixed. Commissioner Donna Miller (D-6th) is heading the hearings. "I've heard from so many women just in the community about the dangers of the lack of protection with orders of protection," Miller said. "I've seen it, unfortunately, too many times on a personal level." Miller said she helped a family member suffering domestic abuse get help. She said she found firsthand how hard the system can be, from getting a protection order to holding an abuser accountable — as well as services for recovery. At the hearing on Tuesday, numerous survivors will share their stories of what they went through. Among them will be Sarah Brown. "This is a challenging system, and there's been children that has died, that has been abused, that has been estranged from their parents because of the system being just a mess," Brown said. The hearing is open to the public, and will be held on the fifth floor of the County Building —located at 118 N. Clark St. and part of the same complex as City Hall, at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Capsized boat survivors recount deadly Vietnam storm that killed 35 people: ‘what a tragedy'
The thunderstorm came so suddenly that it overturned the boat within seconds, said two survivors of the shipwreck, which killed at least 35 people in Vietnam's top tourist spot of Ha Long Bay and left another four missing. 'It had been raining for 15 minutes, then there was a thunderstorm … and a huge wave that all of a sudden capsized the boat,' said Nguyen Hong Quan, one of 10 survivors of the accident, which happened early on Saturday afternoon. 'It took only a few seconds,' he said on Monday, recalling one of the worst accidents in recent years to hit the Unesco-protected archipelago, which consists of thousands of limestone islands about 200km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi. A tourist boat is being salvaged in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam on Sunday. Photo: EPA/VNA Of the 49 people that Vietnam 's government said were on the boat, four are still missing. Conditions are predicted to worsen in the coming hours as Typhoon Wipha makes landfall in northern Vietnam. The typhoon skirted the southern Chinese coast over the weekend, causing flash floods and landslides. Authorities were verifying on Monday whether a body found on an islet in the bay was one of the missing people from the accident, according to local media. The thunderstorm hit large parts of northern Vietnam on Saturday, turning the sky dark in a matter of minutes, with sudden downpours and strong winds felling trees in the capital of Hanoi and temporarily disrupting air travel at the Noi Bai International Airport. 02:02 At least 35 dead after boat capsizes in Vietnam's scenic Ha Long Bay At least 35 dead after boat capsizes in Vietnam's scenic Ha Long Bay Quan, a 40-year-old tourist, said he drifted for about three hours on a wooden chair from the sunken boat before a fishing vessel finally rescued him.
