Thematic reading of BSR statements about aftermath experiences. Covers rest centers, emergency accommodation, financial assistance, psychosocial support. Witnesses describe chaos, no official RBKC presence, unsuitable hotel rooms, wristbands 'like a concentration camp', and being 'treated like second class guests'.
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00:00:33 yes Mrs Lam good good afternoon Mr chairman members of the panel we are now going to read extracts from a number of statements provided by the bereaved survivors and residents relating to
00:00:46 survivors and residents relating to their experiences in the immediate aftermath of the fire we will be taking a thematic approach to the evidence and will be addressing the following eight sections section one rest centers set up
00:00:59 sections section one rest centers set up in the immediate aftermath of the fire section two emergency accommodation section three financial assistance section four psychosocial
00:01:10 assistance section four psychosocial support section five information for those looking for the missing section six Public Communication section seven observations on the response and section eight
00:01:24 on the response and section eight impact dealing with this important evidence in this way is designed to provide illustrative examples of the experiences of those directly affected
00:01:35 experiences of those directly affected in the immediate aftermath this includes the experiences of the bereaved Tower residents Tower survivors and also evacuated residents I wish to emphasize
00:01:46 evacuated residents I wish to emphasize that we recognize the experiences of those affected are not homogeneous the lived experience of every affected person is individual and
00:01:58 every affected person is individual and distinct seeking to draw selected extracts is not at all intended to take away from this and every statement is important in its entirety the inquiry has received in the
00:02:10 entirety the inquiry has received in the region of 215 Phase 2 statements relevant to module 4 while whilst we will not be reading from every statement this does not take away from the significance of every individual's
00:02:22 significance of every individual's contribution to the inquiry every statement has been reviewed by the inquiry team and has shaped our work in module 4 and will form part of the inquiry record many of these statements
00:02:35 inquiry record many of these statements have already been published on the inquiry website as they were pertinent to issues under consideration for module 3 some of the statements dealt solely with aftermath and they are yet to be
00:02:47 with aftermath and they are yet to be published and we will endeavor to publish these in the ensuing days this document has been drafted as a thematic summary and as such I do not
00:02:58 thematic summary and as such I do not propose to take the panel to each and every statement as I read through the document I will do my best when reading through the document pronounce names as best as I can and I apologize in advance
00:03:09 best as I can and I apologize in advance for any that I do not get right before we begin I need to give a trigger warning some may find hearing about their experiences and the experiences of others in the immediate
00:03:21 experiences of others in the immediate aftermath distressing if anybody wishes to leave the room or stop the live stream please do so now
00:03:38 turning to the first section then please dealing with the initial hours and the rest centers that were set up in the immediate
00:03:45 immediate afterm on the night of the fire survivors Tower residents and evacuated residents from nearby properties report not knowing where to go or what to do
00:03:57 not knowing where to go or what to do many people with loved ones who lived in the tower arrived at the scene to try and find
00:04:03 and find information Jenny dton lived in Flat 12 on the fourth floor with her two daughters she was at the scene on the morning of 14th of June and said there were lots of people searching for their
00:04:15 were lots of people searching for their loved ones who were missing everyone was trying to understand what had happened we were in a State of Shock and disbelief I saw people with no shoes men
00:04:26 disbelief I saw people with no shoes men sobbing and people collapsed on the floor
00:04:30 floor no one at that time had any answers no one was there to tell us what we should do or where we should go immediately after the fire the only support I received was from my sister and Mom
00:04:43 received was from my sister and Mom initially I was not aware of any support being provided in the local area however the local community started pulling together during the 14th of June through word of mouth I also became aware that
00:04:55 word of mouth I also became aware that the rugby portabello Club had opened its doors and was offering support to those affected
00:05:01 affected Marcia Levi was evacuated from teston walk at around 1:30 a.m. and said we did not know where to go or what to do no one told us where to go I did not see
00:05:13 one told us where to go I did not see anyone from rbkc there was no Direction there was no one of authority it was understandably disorganized but it went on for far too long with us not knowing what to do and
00:05:26 long with us not knowing what to do and being told that you could not go back to your Flats we were left outside for hours without being updated of what to do or where to go and there didn't appear to be anyone around to ask or offer guidance we were outside until
00:05:39 offer guidance we were outside until around 9:00 a.m. we were petrified we thought the tower was going to fall
00:05:46 to fall down William Thompson lived in flat 52 of the Tower with his partner and their two daughters he says that we were told that buses would be coming to transport us somewhere but weren't told where we
00:05:59 us somewhere but weren't told where we remained here waiting for the buses one bus turned up and moved off after 5 minutes we' remained on Clarendon Road for another 2 hours waiting for transport nobody was telling us anything
00:06:11 transport nobody was telling us anything and we did not know what to do after another 3 hours someone came and told us that if we went to the Rugby Club there would be tea and refreshments there and they would Supply us with clothing we
00:06:22 they would Supply us with clothing we decided to walk to the Rugby Club we arrived at around 4:30 a.m. and we were given blankets and refreshments a number of spontaneous rest centers were set up by the community and Faith
00:06:34 were set up by the community and Faith leaders in the early hours of the morning of 14th of June 2017 these provided shelter and support to those directly affected these rest centers include but are not limited to
00:06:46 centers include but are not limited to the rugby portabello Club The Clement James Center and St Clement's church almanar mosque Notting Hill Methodist Church latima Community Church and the
00:06:57 Church latima Community Church and the Harrow Club Elizabeth siak lived in flat 43 on the seventh floor of the Tower with her husband Michael and their daughter Florentina she says we waited there
00:07:10 Florentina she says we waited there amongst the chaos for what seemed an incredibly long time and then a policeman told us that the rugby portabello Club had been opened we were some of the first people to arrive at
00:07:21 some of the first people to arrive at the rugby portabello Club when we went in they gave us blankets and hot drinks and the ne and the three of us just sat there huddled together waiting to be told what we should do next the
00:07:34 told what we should do next the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive and harrowing as so many people were traumatized and grieving and looking for missing relatives or friends who had been in the tower those who were
00:07:45 who had been in the tower those who were trying to find people were desperate because they were going between various sites and there was no way of them knowing where they would find their loved ones at that time or if they would
00:07:56 loved ones at that time or if they would at all
00:07:59 at all Mel chapeto lived in flat 155 on the 18th floor with his partner berky haftom and her son beruk both of whom perished in the fire he says immediately after
00:08:12 in the fire he says immediately after the fire information about what to do or what was happening was not clear and it seemed the council and the TMO had vanished I went to the rugby portabello club and for the first time found
00:08:25 club and for the first time found somewhere that was actually trying to help the tower residents there trying to help the people who lived in the tower as well as the bereaved I knew rugby porello because I went there with book
00:08:36 porello because I went there with book for the homework club it meant that I knew it and I was comfortable going there they focused on people from the granvel tower it created a space where we could be without lots of people it
00:08:49 we could be without lots of people it was somewhere that understood what was going on and who wanted to help Abraham Abbe lived in flat 44 on the seventh floor of of the Tower with
00:09:00 the seventh floor of of the Tower with his wife tatma GMA and their son he says we had very good support at the rugby portello trust in the hours after the fire the portabello rugby trust became
00:09:12 fire the portabello rugby trust became an informal information exchange for the residents of the tower it was where we went to find out about people or to inform others that people were missing in the days following the fire
00:09:25 missing in the days following the fire the staff of rbkc and the TMO were cons spicuous by their total absence Javon Moses a grandel walk resident says on the night of the fire
00:09:38 resident says on the night of the fire grenfell tower residents went to the Rugby portello Club and grenfell walk residents went to the Clement's church someone at rugby portabello Club themselves confirmed that they were only helping Grenville Tower residents as
00:09:50 helping Grenville Tower residents as they turned me away after a few weeks Rugby Club opened their services to Residents who were not living in the tower Hazel k a resident from barandon walk describes being outside on the
00:10:03 walk describes being outside on the street until 4:00 a.m. when St Clement's church opened she states I did not know where else we could have gone apart from the church at this time Volunteers
00:10:14 the church at this time Volunteers started bringing donations to the church in the morning it was like a flea market there was so much food clothing and toiletries all in donations people turned up from
00:10:25 donations people turned up from everywhere to try to help St Clement was open and busy for the rest of the week donations kept arriving and people came continually to collect things that they needed I know that the Rugby Club Harrow
00:10:38 needed I know that the Rugby Club Harrow club and Methodist Church also opened and offered assistance St Clement's church and other churches mosks and local community groups played a vital role in supporting the community at that
00:10:51 role in supporting the community at that time IAM Alpha was who lived in Hurst Way walk says on the second day a lot of people from the walkways and families who did not have anywhere to go slept at
00:11:03 who did not have anywhere to go slept at the Clement James Center I rejected any food and drink that was provided in the initial re relief centers in Westway and Clement James Center as I felt like this
00:11:14 Clement James Center as I felt like this was meant for people who lost their clothes and belongings I understood that this was also available to me but I felt like it was not my right to take it Simon Jolly a resident of barandon
00:11:27 it Simon Jolly a resident of barandon walk says that St CL had an open door policy and was a huge source of help to the community more widely the latima Christian Center was set up in the early hours of 14th of
00:11:39 set up in the early hours of 14th of June and was open to all Shaheen SFI lived in flat 22 on the fifth floor of the Tower with his mother speaking about his arrival at the scene he says there
00:11:50 his arrival at the scene he says there was absolute chaos and confusion everywhere there were tons of people still in the area looking for loved ones and having faces of shock and loss Lo we had no information about what to do we
00:12:03 had no information about what to do we noticed that people were going into latima Christian Center we went inside and saw it was a relief center there were piles of bags of clothes and donations already there people were making tea it was full of people in the
00:12:16 making tea it was full of people in the community people seemed to sense we were Tower residents and began surrounding us and asking us if we were okay and hugging us we sat in shock at their kindness
00:12:29 kindness Joseph Kyle John lived in Flat 6 on the second floor of the Tower with his former partner lean Meer Jackson LeBlanc and their son he says after escaping the fire we went to latima church and stayed
00:12:42 fire we went to latima church and stayed there it was mainly the church and the local community that were helping survivors immediately after the fire I stayed at latima church for a few days after the fire if it was not for the
00:12:53 after the fire if it was not for the church I was walking the streets I slept at night on the floor of the church survivors and residents also attended other community rest centers that had been set up Nina masro was evacuated
00:13:07 been set up Nina masro was evacuated from teston walk and said that at around 7 or 8: a.m. she went to the Harrow Club she says the Red Cross were there I think they had just arrived when we got there as they hadn't set up an area yet
00:13:20 there as they hadn't set up an area yet they were handing out forms for people to fill in their information the club was packed with people I remember seeing Jessica abano's family there they were looking for Jessica I remember hugging her mom and
00:13:33 Jessica I remember hugging her mom and dad I spoke to another woman there who had recently lost a baby and she was still bleeding I went around the place looking for sanitary towels I was trying to help the best that I could but I was
00:13:44 to help the best that I could but I was also in
00:13:50 shock turning now to the Westway Center which initially opened as a spontaneous rest center and later became the official rest center survivors describe
00:14:01 official rest center survivors describe confusion at the Westway Center issues with gaining entry being unsure of what support was available and the absence of a visible presence from rbkc and the TMO
00:14:12 a visible presence from rbkc and the TMO Omar alhajj Ali lived in flat 112 on the 14th floor with his brother Muhammad alhaj Ali and his friend Mahmud Al karad his brother Muhammad perished in the
00:14:24 his brother Muhammad perished in the fire after being discharged from hospital on 15th of June he was taken into the Westway Center he says I did not know what I was meant to be doing I
00:14:35 not know what I was meant to be doing I just kept asking myself why I was there and what was happening I had a lot of fears like whether I will be homeless now and what will happen next no one came up to talk to me about what help I
00:14:47 came up to talk to me about what help I needed that was what I needed no one knew anything about me like whether i' had been in the tower or not I didn't see anyone from the council any doctors or hospital staff or any officials at
00:14:58 or hospital staff or any officials at the westwest there were no information desks it was just lots of people who looked like they were volunteers or from the community but who weren't able to give me any advice about what I should be doing it
00:15:10 advice about what I should be doing it was emotionally difficult to be with so many
00:15:14 many people Manuel Miguel Ferrera Alves lived in flat 105 on the 13th floor of the Tower with his wife and his children initially they stayed with friends and on 16th on the 16th of June they went to
00:15:27 on 16th on the 16th of June they went to Westway when we went to the West way there was simply confusion everywhere there were lots of people around but I do not remember anyone making it clear that they were from the council Nadia elti a resident from hway
00:15:41 council Nadia elti a resident from hway walk says we had to spend a lot of time looking around the Westway before we found someone official I'm not sure if they were from rbkc or another Council Jason Miller lived in flat 145
00:15:55 Council Jason Miller lived in flat 145 on the 17th flooor with his partner Karen Simone Jones and their two children he says rbkc had a desk at the Westway Center but they did not offer anything beyond getting temporary or
00:16:07 anything beyond getting temporary or emergency accommodation their role was really marginal and they could not offer anything to help us at that time the staff there seemed as powerless as us Simon Jolly describes going to the
00:16:20 us Simon Jolly describes going to the Westway Center he says it seemed really chaotic as there had been a huge influx of donations on the Friday and Saturday but there was no apparent structure to
00:16:31 but there was no apparent structure to process and store it we were concerned that there were not even basic things like signs or notices so that people could know where to go for what it was a free-for-all for anyone who turned up
00:16:43 free-for-all for anyone who turned up whilst survivors were being discharged from hospital with nothing it was clearly problematic that people were required to show up to make themselves and their needs known in
00:16:55 themselves and their needs known in order to receive support as this automatically meant that those who were most injured traumatized or isolated were left at a disadvantage when they should have been the
00:17:06 should have been the priority however he goes on to say that once eing Council had been brought in by the Sunday afternoon the center was completely different systems were in place and there was a real sense of
00:17:17 place and there was a real sense of community and various Services working together a registration system was introduced at the Westway Center where people were asked to provide identific
00:17:29 people were asked to provide identific before
00:17:30 before entering s hery lived in flat 7 on the third floor of the Tower with his father and brother he States my experience at the Westway was terrible when I arrived
00:17:42 the Westway was terrible when I arrived I was asked for identification at the door I explained that I did not have any identification given everything I owned was still in our flat in the tower they continued to ask me for some sort of
00:17:55 continued to ask me for some sort of identification I had to wait until the person at the door was not looking and sneak into the center it was absolutely ridiculous that I had to sneak into the place that was supposed
00:18:06 sneak into the place that was supposed to be offering me support William Thompson says I remember joining a queue to speak to a woman at the desk I think from the NHS or a social worker but I'm not sure the
00:18:19 social worker but I'm not sure the person in front of me had escaped the Tower with nothing at all except what he was wearing and the person at the desk asked him for identification like a passport or a driving license and
00:18:31 passport or a driving license and insisting one needed to be produced before any help would be given I made clear I had known him for years and that he was a Grenville Tower resident but it was pointless as I was
00:18:42 resident but it was pointless as I was also asked for identification documents and I did not have any to show I was from the tower I did not have any to show I was from the tower as part of the ver verification process survivors were
00:18:54 ver verification process survivors were given wristbands upon entry Jose vieiro who who lived in flat 46 on the seventh floor of the Tower with his wife and daughter says I remember the British Red
00:19:05 daughter says I remember the British Red Cross being in the Westway I did not like what they were doing they marked us like we were going into a concentration camp they gave you a wristband which was
00:19:16 camp they gave you a wristband which was colored differently every day and every day you had to register to get into the Westway Center you were marked and easily identifiable when you walked down the street similarly Zoe dton who lived
00:19:28 the street similarly Zoe dton who lived in 12 of the tower says it also meant that journalists in the area could easily identify you Jenny dton says speaking about the Westway Center I
00:19:40 speaking about the Westway Center I found it was more formal and bureaucratic compared to the Rugby Club I believe it had been set up by rbkc you had to wear wristbands to get through security there were lots of different
00:19:51 security there were lots of different organizations here including the dvla home office and rbkc they all sat behind tables which I felt created a barrier between them and me I found the Westway to be
00:20:04 me I found the Westway to be impersonal as a result some people used the Westway Center less tatma GMA lived in flat 44 she says we use the Westway Center less it was not as easily
00:20:15 Center less it was not as easily accessible because the Red Cross made it difficult to get in at all you were asked so many questions just to be able to get in that it became unpleasant for me and my family the problems with
00:20:27 me and my family the problems with getting access at all was was so bad additionally it felt like a shelter for government representatives and the council staff rather than a refuge and support center it felt as though rather
00:20:39 support center it felt as though rather than coming to us for support we had to go to
00:20:43 go to them other Witnesses also share negative experiences of the British Red Cross Z AL Assad a grfl walk resident says we were given forms to complete by the Red
00:20:54 were given forms to complete by the Red Cross my son and I completed the forms and we were not given anything think we also submitted our passports and at the end we got nothing later we were told that only the people that were admitted
00:21:06 that only the people that were admitted to hospital would benefit from the Red Cross
00:21:10 Cross relief contrastingly others share positive observations of the British Red Cross Hamza Jones lost his brother-in-law Abdul aiz Al wahabi his wife Foria Al wahhabi and their three
00:21:23 wife Foria Al wahhabi and their three children Yassin n Huda and Mahi who lived in flat2 on the 21st of the tower he says the Red Cross with limited funding did an excellent job when they
00:21:35 funding did an excellent job when they first came there was no one telling anyone what to do they started to organize things where the people needed help how they could get food and clothing and in the background they was someone organizing for people to go they
00:21:46 someone organizing for people to go they were like a light Sandra Ruiz bereaved Aunt of Jessica arbano ramire says the Red Cross were friendly and welcoming but they seemed out of their depth in terms of
00:21:59 seemed out of their depth in terms of organization the lines were really long and it was too hot in the room to be waiting ages there they were meant to be helping coordinate information and donations and food and
00:22:10 donations and food and drink evacuated residents from the walkways also had issues with gaining access to the Westway center jevin Moses of grel walk says I went to Westway on
00:22:21 of grel walk says I went to Westway on the night of the fire and they were just horrible they were not letting anyone from Grell walk in with lots of the staff standing outside side saying nothing after the fire I did not know where to go Ahmed mused lived in granval
00:22:35 where to go Ahmed mused lived in granval walk and was initially not allowed in I gave my name and address to the Red Cross and they didn't let me in as they couldn't find my name and there was no organization of what was happening I was left waiting
00:22:47 left waiting outside there was security there and people weren't allowed in when he was later allowed in he said as a relief center at first I thought Westway was chaos you couldn't speak to anyone
00:22:59 chaos you couldn't speak to anyone everyone would tell me a different story nobody was clear what was going to happen when I was going back to my flat Jessica Gomez a Grell walk resident says when we first went to the Westway
00:23:11 says when we first went to the Westway they refused to help us because we were not from the tower and they did not know that we had been evacuated and in fact had lost our homes we had to fight for everything we got we had to go to the
00:23:23 everything we got we had to go to the West way to register with the Red Cross they were kind and tried to be helpful but they did not really know who we as gr grenfell walk residents were and said they would need to check and come back
00:23:34 they would need to check and come back the next
00:23:36 the next day some walkway residents say they were also issued with wristbands Caesar ranito who lived in testan walk with his wife Isabelle Rito says that on the 15th of June someone from the council was at
00:23:48 of June someone from the council was at the Westway with a register of walkway residents which they marked people off the list and gave them wristbands jeppi razza who lived in barandon walk said when when queuing to get into Westway as
00:24:00 when when queuing to get into Westway as far as I can recall there was no method of prioritization and I queued with Tower residents and walkway residents alike some survivors slept at the Westway Center RAV lukic who lived at
00:24:14 Westway Center RAV lukic who lived at flat 84 on the 11th floor of the tower says I felt really lost and did not know what to do no one around the tower told me where I could go to sleep or what
00:24:26 me where I could go to sleep or what what I should do to get help the next the next day I wanted to get back to the tower to see what was going on I was directed to the Westway Center the Westway had been set up as a center for
00:24:37 Westway had been set up as a center for survivors there were what seemed like hundreds of mattresses on the floor of the center for people to sleep I can't remember how long I slept there for I think it was two nights I do remember
00:24:50 think it was two nights I do remember that it felt very strange there there were about 20 of us amongst all of the empty mattresses it was a very sad place to
00:24:58 to be it really felt like it was somewhere for people that did not have anywhere better to
00:25:04 better to go the Jafari family from Flat 866 on the 11th floor stayed in the Westway Center for 10 days and were the last to leave Maria Jafari describes her
00:25:15 leave Maria Jafari describes her experiences of staying at the Westway Center and says staying and sleeping in the Westway was horrific as a Muslim woman modesty is important and when
00:25:26 woman modesty is important and when sleeping I did not want to expose parts of my body I found this very stressful for 2 days after the fire I stayed in the same clothes I was wearing on leaving the tower no one offered us a
00:25:38 leaving the tower no one offered us a change of new clean clothes all day there were people coming in and out it was very
00:25:44 was very public Rashida Ali who lived in flat 125 on the 15th floor of the Tower with her husband and daughter says I didn't know that people were staying in Westway overnight on the night of the fire when
00:25:56 overnight on the night of the fire when we took Sid her husband to the hospital hospital we missed that if I knew that I would have stayed there this also would have meant that I would have had earlier access to the clothing and other donated
00:26:08 access to the clothing and other donated items that I needed turning now to section two on emergency
00:26:14 emergency accommodation a number of issues were experienced including a lack of information about where to go uncertainty about the length of stay in hotels unsuitable room Arrangements
00:26:27 hotels unsuitable room Arrangements issues with the provision of food distance of hotels from the community and specific needs not being met sep M Madam lived in flat 4 on the
00:26:38 met sep M Madam lived in flat 4 on the first floor of the Tower with her son she states I escaped from the Tower with my son and sat at the grass Verge outside the tower I then went to my car and drove to the end of the road where I
00:26:50 and drove to the end of the road where I was blocked in by fire engines so I just parked there my son and I slept in the car that night until approximately 9:00 a.m.
00:26:59 a.m. Mah cuder lived in flat 64 on the 9th floor flat 64 on the 9th floor with his wife and three daughters they went to the Rugby Club after escaping the tower
00:27:10 the Rugby Club after escaping the tower and he says my daughter was pregnant she slept under the table because there were no mattresses around Abdul wahab Abdul hammed lived in flat 14 on the first floor of the Tower
00:27:22 flat 14 on the first floor of the Tower with his
00:27:24 with his wife her brother and her friend Amina Yousef Muhammad after escaping the tower he and his wife were taken to hospital where he says my wife called rbkc to
00:27:36 where he says my wife called rbkc to inquire about what we should do as my wife was heavily pregnant and we did not know where to go we were looking for information rbkc told us to wait there
00:27:47 information rbkc told us to wait there and wait for a call back for further instructions after waiting for a few hours we had not received a call back we decided to go directly to the town hall
00:27:58 decided to go directly to the town hall but when we arrived we were again told to wait until someone came out to see us we were eventually told that no one was available and we would have to come back the next day as we stood outside a
00:28:10 the next day as we stood outside a security guard who could see our distress agreed to find someone to help us after waiting outside for approximately 30 minutes a woman came out gave us oyster cards and told us to
00:28:22 out gave us oyster cards and told us to make our way to the premier in hotel she did not explain anything to us the lady just handed us the oyster cards and told us to go there we took a taxi to the hotel a friend of mine gave money to
00:28:34 hotel a friend of mine gave money to take the
00:28:36 take the taxi Alice and Moses lived in flat 11 on the fourth floor of the tower she describes having mobility issues which rbkc and the TMO were aware of she says
00:28:47 rbkc and the TMO were aware of she says that in the early hours of 14th of June someone called me about emergency accommodation I don't know who they were a woman's voice said she had a room for me at a hotel in was caught she did not
00:28:59 me at a hotel in was caught she did not give me any details or any choice after the person hung up I realized I had a room reserved but no way no way to get there no money no clothes I didn't know
00:29:10 there no money no clothes I didn't know what I was supposed to do I was in my dressing
00:29:13 dressing gown chag Patel's parents lived in flat 56 on the eighth floor of the tower he describes how his parents went to stay with his uncle for 2 weeks he says no
00:29:24 with his uncle for 2 weeks he says no one from rbkc or the TMO had reached out to any of us during this time accommodation was arranged for his parents about 2 weeks after the fire some survivors had issues with
00:29:35 fire some survivors had issues with finding their hotels and experienced problems upon arrival janaro batun lived in flat 146 on the 17th floor of the Tower and says I went to three different
00:29:48 Tower and says I went to three different hotels before I arrived at the correct one as there were some errors with the bookings Rashida Ali was placed in the Premier Rin hotel on 14th of June but when when they arrived she says the
00:29:59 when when they arrived she says the workers in reception didn't have our names recorded I had to prove myself it was late in the evening and everywhere was closed with nowhere else for us to go I was sitting in the lobby of the
00:30:11 go I was sitting in the lobby of the hotel waiting for someone to tell us what to do and where to go she was eventually given a double room for her and her daughter until the next day being moved to another hotel where her husband joined them she says we needed a
00:30:24 husband joined them she says we needed a family room but they only gave one room with just one double bed for three people survivors raised issues around the lack of communication about their length of hotel stay Bilal El gueni who
00:30:37 length of hotel stay Bilal El gueni who lived in flat 152 of the Tower with his wife Rabia Yahya who was pregnant at the time and their three children he was placed in a hotel on 17th of June but
00:30:48 placed in a hotel on 17th of June but received a knock on the door in the morning after the second night in the hotel it was the hotel manager saying that I needed to find alternative accommodation I couldn't believe it where were we meant to go he continues
00:31:02 where were we meant to go he continues rbkc eventually offered me a night in a hotel in West Kensington but I needed to stay in edgear road because that location allowed me to visit my family in two hospitals they were split across
00:31:14 in two hospitals they were split across the Royal free hospital in North London and King's Co College Hospital in South London and I was going back and forth between the two every day it was hard enough being based in edgear Road and
00:31:26 enough being based in edgear Road and had I moved I would not have been able to B to travel between the two hospitals within visiting hours I slept in my car that night we were treated like second class guests at the
00:31:37 class guests at the hotel hang hanwang lived in flat 76 on the 10th floor of the Tower with her former partner and their daughter Jenny faang she described her arrival at the
00:31:49 faang she described her arrival at the hotel the staff confirmed that I had a room there for a night they told me that we would have to check out the next day I did not did not know how long the room had been paid for I felt really worried
00:32:01 had been paid for I felt really worried I thought where will I stay if I can't continue to stay here I think that someone from rbkc or the TMO should have been at the hotel when we arrived to give me information I would have felt a
00:32:14 give me information I would have felt a lot less anxious it was really stressful shenir maget lived in flat 133 on the 16th floor of the Tower with his wife and son he States I was really
00:32:27 wife and son he States I was really anxious about how long we would be able to stay in the hotel I did not know who was paying for the hotel but I knew it was not cheap there was not anyone from rbkc to say you have the room for this
00:32:38 rbkc to say you have the room for this period of
00:32:40 period of time Samuel Daniels lived in flat 135 on the 16th floor of the Tower with his father Joseph Daniels who perished in the fire he says rbkc would never tell
00:32:52 the fire he says rbkc would never tell you how long you were able to stay at a hotel the manager of the hotel would simply put a note under your room door saying you you're booked for another week there was not one person to contact
00:33:03 week there was not one person to contact for information or assistance Shaheen SFI says some hotels were giving people notice to leave because the booking was at an end a note was left under the door
00:33:14 at an end a note was left under the door or attached to the door people were told to leave with just a few hours notice because the hotels needed the rooms walkway residents also experienced
00:33:25 rooms walkway residents also experienced issues about their length of stay brahe Amin a grandfa walk Resident was given a room and was told by rbkc that he would only be able to stay there for a week I
00:33:36 only be able to stay there for a week I asked where was I supposed to go after that week the housing officer told me not to worry they might rebook my room or send me somewhere else and someone will be in touch to let me know this was
00:33:47 will be in touch to let me know this was incredibly distressing for me and the housing officer did not seem to realize this at the end of the week at the hotel no one contacted me to say that the room was rebooked or where I should move to
00:33:59 was rebooked or where I should move to or even that I had to move out so I went to my friend's home to stay four or five days later someone from rbkc housing called and asked me if I was still in dorset's house I told him that of course
00:34:11 dorset's house I told him that of course I
00:34:13 I wasn't survivors and residents report that their accommodation Arrangements were unsuitable Miriam Yousef Adam lived in flat 14 with her husband brother and friend they were given one room with one
00:34:25 friend they were given one room with one double bed for four people she was pregnant at the time as she says I was unable to get onto the bed as it was too high off the floor so I slept either on the sofa or the floor I requested a
00:34:38 the sofa or the floor I requested a mattress but the hotel did not provide one one of the many volunteers that attended the hotel provided a duvet for me to sleep on I was in a lot of pain and my back condition worsened whilst I
00:34:49 and my back condition worsened whilst I was at the hotel Sahar Jamal vatan lived in flat 10 on the third floor with her mother mmu and brother she says on the afternoon of the first day we were taken to the Tara Copthorne
00:35:02 day we were taken to the Tara Copthorne Hotel in Kensington we had to wait in reception there for 2 hours at first they gave us one room with two double beds in it even though all three of us are adults as they told us they didn't
00:35:13 are adults as they told us they didn't have enough rooms for us to have separate rooms we spent three weeks in that room I had to share a bed with my mom my brother was supposed to have slept in the other bed but he went to reception each night and slept on the
00:35:25 reception each night and slept on the setes there Manuel Miguel Ferrera Alves and his family were offered one room with double beds for all four of us it was completely unsuitable especially as they
00:35:36 completely unsuitable especially as they knew that my children were young adults they had also only offered us a two night stay so we decided not to sleep there because it would have been too disruptive for our family at what was
00:35:47 disruptive for our family at what was already a very unsettled time 2 days later they went back to the Westway Center and were offered rooms in the Holiday Inn in Al's Court his daughter and wife went to check in but they were
00:35:59 and wife went to check in but they were told by staff that there were no rooms reserved for us she tried to explain our situation but the staff were very rude to her at this point it was already 7:00 p.m. so the council office was closed
00:36:11 p.m. so the council office was closed and we had not been given an out of hours contact number so we went back to stay with our friends as a result the Alva's family did not end up checking into a hotel until the 21st of
00:36:22 into a hotel until the 21st of June Melanie oano lived with her parents and sister Jessica abano Ramirez in flat 176 on the 20th floor of the tower Jessica perished
00:36:33 20th floor of the tower Jessica perished in the fire she says rbkc allocated us a room at the Holiday Inn it was one room for all of us my mom dad and me so I stayed in that room for a few days
00:36:44 stayed in that room for a few days whilst my parents stayed with other family then rbkc gave my mom a separate room but in a different Hotel though we need to be near each other Mahmud kabo a
00:36:55 need to be near each other Mahmud kabo a resident at teston walk had to share a single bed with his wife in a single room until given a double room about a month
00:37:04 month later a number of survivors raised concerns about the condition of their hotel rooms Mariam Abdul Kadir yusf and her husband were not offered Hotel accommodation by rbkc for 3 Days however
00:37:17 accommodation by rbkc for 3 Days however when they were she says as soon as we saw the accommodation rbkc had arranged for us we left immediately it was very dirty and not fit for human habitation
00:37:28 dirty and not fit for human habitation we could not believe that the council expected us to stay there Amina Muhammad lived in flat 51 on the e8th floor of the Tower with her nephew she says when I arrived I found that the hotel was
00:37:41 I arrived I found that the hotel was actually more like a hostel it was completely unsuitable it was dirty and very
00:37:46 very cramped Mustafa Abdu lived in flat 184 on the 20th 21st floor he was initially placed in the Havi Hotel on 16th of June which he described
00:37:58 which he described I was put in a basement it was dirty and dingy I could not stay there so I went to make a complaint to rbkc at rugby portabello rbkc then arranged for me to
00:38:09 portabello rbkc then arranged for me to move into another hotel this hotel had no hot water I couldn't take a shower I still felt in shock over what had happened to my home and to the people I knew in the tower and I could not
00:38:20 knew in the tower and I could not believe the terrible hotels that I had been put
00:38:23 been put in some survivors were allocated to Rooms On High floors Rabia Yahya lived in flat 152 of the tower she says rbkc offered my family all five of us a room
00:38:37 offered my family all five of us a room with one bed on the 22nd floor of the Hilton Metropole Hotel on edgeway road I refused to go there was no alternative room offered to us on a lower floor so
00:38:48 room offered to us on a lower floor so we went to my mother-in-law's house to stay for a few days while we tried to get rbkc to sort out proper accommodation for us which was frustrating it felt that we had to fight to get our
00:38:59 it felt that we had to fight to get our most basic needs met even when we were in a fragile vulnerable condition just out of
00:39:07 out of Hospital William Thompson explained that we had all just come out of a burning Tower block and it should have been obvious that placing survivors on higher floors would be distressing Nicholas
00:39:19 floors would be distressing Nicholas Burton lived in flat 165 on the 19th floor with his wife Maria D pill py he describes being given a on the 14th floor as soon as I got to my room I had
00:39:30 floor as soon as I got to my room I had a panic attack and immediately left again and followed the signs to the fire escape all the way down to the ground floor some survivors did not receive Food provision at their hotels Janette
00:39:44 Food provision at their hotels Janette gra mayam Shao lived in flat 153 on the 18th floor of the Tower with her two sons her son Isaac poas perished in the fire she was not aware of a food
00:39:56 fire she was not aware of a food allowance she says whilst in the hotels I did not know about a weekly food allowance it was only when I moved to the permanent accommodation that I was aware of the weekly allowance I did not
00:40:07 aware of the weekly allowance I did not know what I was entitled to so often I would just eat one meal a day as no one told me what I was allowed to have others were un sure what they were
00:40:19 have others were un sure what they were entitled to David LS who was visiting his ex-wife Maro toyoshima Lewis and their two children who lived in flat N9 on the third floor of the tower he says
00:40:30 on the third floor of the tower he says there was a lot of confusion regarding whether C the council would pay for us toward of food at the hotel we had heard that the council would only be paying for drinks so we only ordered
00:40:41 for drinks so we only ordered drinks meron wdel Lassie ARA a survivor of the fire was not aware until a month after the fire that her food would be paid for and as such she spent her own
00:40:53 paid for and as such she spent her own money on
00:40:54 money on food walkway residents also experienced issues with the provision of food in their hotel Diego Artis who lived in granval walk says there was a lot of
00:41:05 granval walk says there was a lot of discrimination in this hotel because there was a budget for our food we had a special menu with four different meals that we could choose from and we could not order from the main menu the hotel
00:41:16 not order from the main menu the hotel workers were not very nice and were always looking at us like we do not belong in that hotel I felt like a refugee
00:41:24 refugee there a number of survivors and residents experienced issues with food allowances in hotels Amina Muhammad says the survivors got together and insisted
00:41:35 the survivors got together and insisted on rbkc providing us with substance payments because of all the issues with food provided by the hotel eventually I cannot remember exactly when the council provided us with £300 a week it was so
00:41:48 provided us with £300 a week it was so disappointing that the council did not consider this issue at all and that we had to fight for this Ahmed al-assad lived in granal walk with his parents brother and sister he says that he
00:42:00 brother and sister he says that he received £500 approximately 3 weeks after the fire he says I believed it was not enough especially because for the first three months we could not eat at the hotel and had no food allowance so
00:42:11 the hotel and had no food allowance so we had to pay for food out of our pocket many reported their specific needs were not met at hotels some parents felt that their
00:42:22 hotels some parents felt that their children's needs were not accommodated rder s says the hotel she was placed in did not have a cot or any facilities for those with a baby eventually the manager
00:42:34 those with a baby eventually the manager of the hotel felt sorry for us and helped us with our needs including giving us a microwave which we could use for heating food and milk for our baby Wesley Ryan ignatio lived in flat 62 on
00:42:47 Wesley Ryan ignatio lived in flat 62 on the ninth floor of the Tower with his parents his wife and their daughter he States it was difficult to sterilize the bottles in the hotel room initially we had no choice but to wash them out by
00:42:59 had no choice but to wash them out by hand until we had some money to buy a new sterilizer there was no urgent additional support from rbkc for our daughter those with disabilities and
00:43:10 daughter those with disabilities and mobility issues also raised concerns about their accommodation Allison Moses says there was no adaptations or allowances for my mobility issues I was
00:43:21 allowances for my mobility issues I was given a room with a bath which I struggled to use I reported my difficulties I was told thought I was going to be moved to a hotel room with a walk-in shower but this did not occur
00:43:32 walk-in shower but this did not occur Monica Loco lived in flat 3 on the first floor of the tower she outlines her mobility issues and says that she needed help getting in and out of bed despite being told she would be provided with a
00:43:44 being told she would be provided with a bed lever she had to buy one herself du due to the time it was taking on one occasion she describes falling off the bed and two security guards having to help her get up some survivors felt that their
00:43:57 up some survivors felt that their religious needs were not met in hotels during the time of the fire it was Ramadan and a number of residents were fasting Alice and Moses says the food offered in the hotel was a nightmare I'm
00:44:09 offered in the hotel was a nightmare I'm a practicing Muslim the hotel food was not Halal the hotel did not make any accommodations for this at all the serving staff made us feel unwelcome R SED says the mosque delivered food and
00:44:22 SED says the mosque delivered food and drink to us at our hotel this was a really this was really important for us as it was Ramadan and we could only eat certain foods at particular times the hotels did not seem to be able to meet
00:44:33 hotels did not seem to be able to meet this particular need this meet this important
00:44:37 important need brahe al- Amin who lived in grenfell walk said breakfast was included but it was at a set time I had to buy my own lunch and dinner as it was Ramadan the eating Arrangements were
00:44:49 Ramadan the eating Arrangements were completely unsuitable for me for the last seven days of Ramadan I went to a mosque in Paddington for iar and would buy my own food to eat early in the morning morning before starting my fast Senate Jones lost their Uncle Abdul aiz
00:45:01 Senate Jones lost their Uncle Abdul aiz alwahabi and his family they say it was Ramadan and the local community were very helpful in being sensitive to the needs of Muslim survivors and family members there was halal food available
00:45:13 members there was halal food available for breaking the fast I didn't feel that rbkc were considering our religious needs I don't know how we would have managed without the
00:45:22 community some survivors and residents were unhappy with the location of their hotels as they were placed further away from the tower this made it difficult to travel to rest centers visit family in
00:45:34 travel to rest centers visit family in hospital and take children to school Wesley Ryan ignatio says all information tended to be based at relief centers I found it stressful having to return to
00:45:45 found it stressful having to return to the area and go to multiple sources for information and support I had no choice but to walk to and from the hotel to and from the hotel to different relief
00:45:56 from the hotel to different relief centers
00:45:57 centers bra branislav lukic initially stayed with a friend then spent some nights at the Westway center before being offered a hotel in Wandsworth he says I was
00:46:08 a hotel in Wandsworth he says I was really disappointed with the offer of a hotel in Wandsworth he then spoke to someone at the rugby portabello Club who found a room in South Kensington how however after a few days he says a man
00:46:20 however after a few days he says a man came to the hotel and said that we had to leave I do not know where he was from but I presumed he was from the council it felt brutal I remember thinking that we were just being moved further and
00:46:32 we were just being moved further and further
00:46:33 further away he then went to the Westway Center to find help on staying closer this did not seem to get anywhere and I was told I would have to move I felt that I was being
00:46:45 being ignored almette demsi who lived in flat 94 on the 12th floor of the tower was discharged from hospital on 16th of June and describes being taken to the offices
00:46:56 and describes being taken to the offices of Wandsworth council he says I did not know why I was been taken there as this had not been explained to me by anyone the woman I spoke to at Wandsworth council was very sympathetic she said
00:47:08 council was very sympathetic she said that there was a local bed and breakfast where I could stay for the weekend I did not know the area and I had an acute sense of being completely isolated I think perhaps I took two buses from the
00:47:19 think perhaps I took two buses from the council building to get to the bed and breakfast I had to ask people along the way where the place was and they were doing their best to direct me there I eventually made it there after quite a
00:47:30 eventually made it there after quite a long and difficult Journey Marcio Gomez lived in flat 183 on the 21st floor with his wife and their children he says that rbkc wanted
00:47:43 their children he says that rbkc wanted to place me in a hotel which was a considerable distance from the hospital this was at a point when my wife and daughters were all in induced Comas and in critical condition farad NADA who
00:47:56 in critical condition farad NADA who lived in SL 205 on the 23rd floor of the Tower with his parents he lost his father sabera in the fire he says the hotel accommodation was far away from
00:48:07 hotel accommodation was far away from where my mother was in hospital and I was using cabs to travel to see her two to three times each day which was expensive and
00:48:17 inconvenient walkway residents also experienced issues with the distance of their hotels Fahad vakar Malik lived in barandon walk with his brother CRA Malik
00:48:28 barandon walk with his brother CRA Malik he was placed in a hotel in Westminster but he says because of my dyspraxia I was not familiar with my surroundings I find it difficult to navigate new places I would rather have been closer to the
00:48:40 I would rather have been closer to the rbkc Bur as it was familiar to me marama alhassani lived in hway walk with her three children she was placed in a hotel in North Acton she says she was
00:48:52 in North Acton she says she was struggling to take her children to school and was too far to access support from the community she says I was offered a taxi service however there were occasions where the taxies never
00:49:04 were occasions where the taxies never turned up and my children were left stranded as such I took my children to and from school and whilst they were at school I would have no option but to remain in the area until they were finished with school when I spoke to the
00:49:17 finished with school when I spoke to the officers at the council I felt that I was not being listened to that our struggles were not relevant I felt that others were provided with support and that my family and I were being left out of the burrow and
00:49:29 of the burrow and isolated some share their experience of feeling isolated in their hotels Mel chetto says nobody came and explained what was going on and although
00:49:40 explained what was going on and although I had a room it felt cold lonely and empty it was horrible being in the hotel room I felt isolated I was just left and
00:49:51 room I felt isolated I was just left and it became clear that it was up to me to get out and find stuff and see what I could do life in the hotel was very difficult and
00:50:02 difficult and lonely turning now to the experience of walkway residents on 14th of June walkway residents were evacuated from their homes but un clear where to go
00:50:13 their homes but un clear where to go Isabelle ranito a resident of testan walk says that she and her husband spent most of the night in the communal Garden between barandon Walk and teston Walk watching the fire we then went to sleep
00:50:26 watching the fire we then went to sleep in our car for a couple of hours we then spent the day wandering around the estate we didn't really know where to go or what to do we were displaced Kelly dowlet a resident of
00:50:38 displaced Kelly dowlet a resident of barandon walk says that she stayed with her cousin on the night of the fire and the next day she tried to get back into her flat she says I tried that afternoon to get back
00:50:49 says I tried that afternoon to get back into my flat probably at around 3: or 400 p.m. and then again at 6:00 p.m. there were people there Manning the doors to the walkways and they wouldn't allow me even to go in and get an
00:51:00 allow me even to go in and get an overnight bag between Thursday the 15th and Saturday the 17th of June I returned again to the walkways and there were police officers standing outside who informed me that I still wasn't able to
00:51:12 informed me that I still wasn't able to enter my flat until they could confirm it was safe to do so the police did not say how long it would be before I could get back into my flat eventually I was allowed to back into my flat just over a
00:51:24 allowed to back into my flat just over a week after the fire I was shocked and felt Des desperately guilty when I saw that there were people actually sleeping on the grass by the walkways close to the
00:51:34 the tower Helena heartley lived in hway walk with her son she went to stay with her mother while her son went to stay with their father they moved back into their flat on the 19th of June she states I
00:51:46 flat on the 19th of June she states I did try to phone a help line set up by the council which I found out about through other residents however no one on the helpline seemed to know anything about whether it was safe for us to return to the walkway Flats they
00:51:58 return to the walkway Flats they referred to a press relief release that was coming out but had no immediate update for residents who rang up I eventually heard that the survivors of the tower were being housed in hotels
00:52:09 the tower were being housed in hotels temporarily but I did not think that this emergency housing was available for residents of the walkway Flats Marcia Levi was placed in a hotel but after a week she went back to the
00:52:20 but after a week she went back to the flat to get some clothes she says there were TMO Representatives with clipboards knocking on doors and walking along tested and walk one of them asked us who
00:52:31 tested and walk one of them asked us who told you that you can't come back we were told by the council at the Westway that we couldn't come back elain Lara a barandon walk resident stayed at a hotel until the 16th of December 2017 which is
00:52:44 until the 16th of December 2017 which is when she says the heating and hot water were turned back on and we return to barandon
00:52:49 barandon walk Farah suoo lived in hway walk with her husband and four children she says that on the day after the fire I called the tmo's 0800 number that I would
00:53:01 the tmo's 0800 number that I would always call if I had a problem I was told that I could go back to my flat in Hurst Way walk if I wanted to but it would be at my own risk they were not able to give me any information about
00:53:12 able to give me any information about what the risks were or what was the long-term plan for residents of the walkways we then briefly stayed at my mom's house I think only for one night before returning to Hurst Way walk we
00:53:23 before returning to Hurst Way walk we couldn't stay with family forever and I was not told at that stage about any alternatives we had nowhere else to go she goes on to say there was no Heating and no hot water in any of the Walk
00:53:36 and no hot water in any of the Walk walkway flats and made it very difficult to live with small children the TMO had told us that the heating and hot water would be back up and running at some point but they didn't say when some of my neighbors
00:53:48 didn't say when some of my neighbors told me that virgin active in Kensington had let them use the shower there I called them up about this and they agreed we could go there to wash it was quite embarrassing and difficult showering with my
00:54:01 baby hadijah arid from Hurst Way walk says as we had no hot water and all the gas was switched off we were told that we could go to the West way to have a shower so we did so she continues as
00:54:13 shower so we did so she continues as soon as they established that we were from the walkways it's like your needs weren't as great as those from Granville Tower or
00:54:20 Tower or walk some walkway residents were let back into their properties and then subsequently asked to leave David oconnell who lived in Baran walk with Viviana Rulo says in relation to
00:54:31 with Viviana Rulo says in relation to the 15th of June we had heard rumors that some Baron residents were being let into the flats so we headed over there at about 2: p.m. we were let back in we started to settle down and checked upon
00:54:42 started to settle down and checked upon our pets a few hours later between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. a police officer told us that we had to leave some walkway residents were allocated Hotel accommodation at rest
00:54:54 allocated Hotel accommodation at rest centers Margaret Noel a grandfa walk resident spoke to someone at the Westway Center who arranged a hotel for her that evening on the 14th of June others were not Christine Richard lived in hway walk
00:55:08 not Christine Richard lived in hway walk on 14th of June she went to the rugby PTO belloo club and spoke to someone at the desk who she believed to be either from the council or the TMO she says when I told her I lived
00:55:19 TMO she says when I told her I lived alone she said that they were not providing emergency accommodation for anyone who lived alone and told me that I should go and sleep on a friend's sofa benzia Lasher lived in teston walk
00:55:31 sofa benzia Lasher lived in teston walk with her two children and her parents she says I was told by a representative from rbkc the council in the Westway that they would not arrange for me my
00:55:42 that they would not arrange for me my family to go to stay in a hotel this was because she said we lived too far away from the tower although my next door neighbors were offered a hotel immediately at the time it was so chaotic that the council officers who
00:55:54 chaotic that the council officers who were there to provide emergency assistance did not know who lived where where the flats were in relation to the Grenville Tower in relation to the Grenville Tower they did not seem to have a
00:56:06 they did not seem to have a plan Maria Gil lived in hway walk with her daughter she was told a hotel would be organized but it was not she says the person I spoke to took notes and told me
00:56:17 person I spoke to took notes and told me they would organize for a hotel and they would give me a call on the same day but nobody called Charlotte M McMahon lived in barandon she says I had been calling the homeless
00:56:29 she says I had been calling the homeless housing needs number at rbkc from the morning after the fire I would be waiting on the line for an hour to speak to someone when I spoke to someone I was told they would call me back and they
00:56:40 told they would call me back and they never did I had been calling them as I could not go back to my flat I was told that rbkc would book a hotel for my family and I but this took countless efforts on me on my and my friend's part
00:56:52 efforts on me on my and my friend's part before this was arranged it took one week before my children and I were provided with Hotel accommodation Caesar Rito says another Resident gave me a housing line number
00:57:04 Resident gave me a housing line number for the council and told me that people from the walkways were able to get temporary accommodation I called on the evening of 18th of June at first the council did not want to give us anything
00:57:15 council did not want to give us anything I mentioned that Isabelle had a chronic health condition and that seemed to change their minds we were then told that they only had one hotel room available and it would only be for one night
00:57:27 night other walkway residents were placed in hotels much later Lea rahani a barandon walk resident received a call from a housing officer Dion wils 3 to 4 days
00:57:38 housing officer Dion wils 3 to 4 days after the fire she asked me if I was safe and where I was staying I informed her that I couldn't go back home I had no money and nothing to wear I also informed her that my son had no uniform
00:57:50 informed her that my son had no uniform to go to school she advised me to go to the uniform shop and go to Westway to stay there I told her that I did not want to go and sleep in a gym because I was pregnant and had a 1-year-old a six-year-old and
00:58:02 and had a 1-year-old a six-year-old and a 12-year-old she advised me to call for temporary accommodation to see if they could help me and gave me a number after this phone call from the rbkc TMO I
00:58:13 this phone call from the rbkc TMO I can't remember being contacted by rbkc or the TMO again as a result she stayed with family for 10 days and was later placed in a hotel Ahmed al-assad says
00:58:25 placed in a hotel Ahmed al-assad says the council never contacted us to tell us about hotels it was my sister who went to the council trying to place us in a hotel this was over 3 weeks after the fire we should have been given a hotel straight away elain Lara lived in
00:58:39 hotel straight away elain Lara lived in barandon walk she and her two sons were not placed in a hotel until October 2017 some did not know that hotel accommodation was an option Paul Norbert
00:58:50 accommodation was an option Paul Norbert who lived in teston walk says I was very stressed and upset I could feel my mental state deteriorating because of the shock of witnessing the fire and the
00:59:01 the shock of witnessing the fire and the chaos around us I knew that I needed to be alone to try to gather my thoughts I knew that I would not have the space to do that in a chaotic emergency shelter based on what I had heard from the
00:59:12 based on what I had heard from the community I believed that was the only option being offered by rbkc so I booked myself a hotel in baz waterer some walkway Witnesses report
00:59:24 waterer some walkway Witnesses report receiving differential treatment Tower residents jeevan Moses says because rbkc did not clarify whether grandel walk residents would be able to go back to our Flats they kept us in the dark for a
00:59:36 our Flats they kept us in the dark for a long period of time because of this I lost out on housing and was about 6 months behind everyone else before the fire there was a strong sense of community between the residents of
00:59:47 community between the residents of Grenville Tower grenell walk and the walkways we were one however after the fire we quickly realized that because of the inefficiencies of rbkc and TMO there
01:00:00 the inefficiencies of rbkc and TMO there became a hierarchy and a division between us all we were all treated differently and this made me and other residents of grfa walk feel unvalued and not
01:00:10 not worthy Jill Bedford a resident of teston walk says in the aftermath of the fire I was concerned about how the council decided which of the non-g Grell
01:00:21 decided which of the non-g Grell households would be allocated emergency accommodation and which would not it is impossible to draw a physical boundary dividing those to benefit from a set of
01:00:32 dividing those to benefit from a set of policies designed to address issues around mental health to have Arisen from the fire from those who will not benefit that is because trauma does not work along strict geographical lines like
01:00:45 along strict geographical lines like this and is instead a subjective Factor this should have been part of the Alle legibility criteria for the provision of services like those relating to the provision of emergency eom ation for
01:00:56 provision of emergency eom ation for non- Tower residents Thomasina Hessel lived in baradan walk with her son and stayed at a neighbor's friend's house for two nights she says at around 9:00 a.m. on
01:01:08 nights she says at around 9:00 a.m. on the 15th of June I called the rbkc housing line I wanted more information and to arrange a hotel room when I spoke to someone they told me somebody else would call me back at around midday they
01:01:21 would call me back at around midday they didn't so I called them up again they then told me someone would call me at a around 300 p.m. they didn't so I then called them again whoever I was speaking to told me not to call anymore as I was
01:01:33 to told me not to call anymore as I was taking up the line I was told I was not a priority I could not return home my flat had no Heating and I was terrified of the tower collapsing I understand
01:01:45 of the tower collapsing I understand that there were lots of people who needed help but I too was in shock and despair at that point and I needed somewhere to stay too Virginia sang says as time went on
01:01:58 too Virginia sang says as time went on the attention seemed to shift just to grandell the walkways were almost forgotten and we feel like the Forgotten residents we are still living in the same place in the shadow of the tower we
01:02:10 same place in the shadow of the tower we have had to fight for help of any thought Mr chairman I'm about to move on to section two and I wonder if that might be an appropriate time for an afternoon break or if you'd like me to continue well if that's convenient to
01:02:23 continue well if that's convenient to you it's probably a good point to have a break so let's do that shall we uh we'll we'll stop at that point therefore and resume at 25 3 if that's convenient thank you good thank you very much thank
01:02:35 thank you good thank you very much thank you for 25 P three then
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01:20:42 yes Mrs Mr chairman can I uh repeat the trigger warning just because we're talking about the experiences in the immediate aftermath for anybody that may want to leave the room or pause the live stream please do so now
01:20:57 turning then please to section three dealing with financial assistance key issues include delayed financial assistance difficulties in obtaining financial assistance
01:21:10 obtaining financial assistance inconsistencies in the amounts paid and some say that they did not receive any financial assistance at all some survivors report that they received delayed financial assistance
01:21:22 received delayed financial assistance Aiza rahani lived in FL at 126 on the 15th floor of the Tower with her daughter she says I had no access to my own finances as all of my belongings
01:21:34 own finances as all of my belongings were destroyed in the flat including bank cards and ID documents I did not receive any funds from rbkc including my weekly allowance for over four months I
01:21:45 weekly allowance for over four months I was therefore grateful for funds I received from charitable funds like the zakat
01:21:51 zakat foundation U Wan t bab lived in flat 113 on the 14th floor of the Tower with his partner and their child he says we did
01:22:02 partner and their child he says we did receive money from rbkc a few weeks probably a month after the fire but it was too little too late if it had not have been for the Charities and
01:22:13 have been for the Charities and voluntary groups we would have been lost they were 100 times more helpful than the
01:22:19 the government Rosita Bonny FAO lived in flat 83 on the 11th floor of the Tower with her husband she says I do not recall whether rbkc provided any
01:22:32 recall whether rbkc provided any financial assistance to me immediately after the fire I do not remember receiving any assistance from them all the support I received was from Charities rder s says the first payments
01:22:45 Charities rder s says the first payments we received were from Charities I cannot express the importance of receiving cash payments especially straight after the fire we had lost all of our cash bank
01:22:56 fire we had lost all of our cash bank cards IDs without which it was virtually impossible to do anything we received no cash from rbkc on the first days following the fire rbkc did provide the
01:23:07 following the fire rbkc did provide the hotel room and later transferred cash to our bank account however you had to chase your key worker to receive this I am not sure if they needing to be chased
01:23:18 am not sure if they needing to be chased meant that it was only given to the people who asked Allison Moses describes rece uh financial assistance she says I appreciated how much people donated but
01:23:31 appreciated how much people donated but having some money made a big difference it's about dignity being able to get the item you would choose for yourself I was more grateful for money as I could buy things that I needed walkway residents
01:23:44 things that I needed walkway residents also experienced delays in receiving financial assistance Diego ortis says that he did not receive any financial support from the council for 6 weeks weeks Christine richer received £00 from
01:23:58 weeks Christine richer received £00 from the Westway Center when she first visited and then 5,000 from the town hall at
01:24:06 hall at Christmas turning now to the process of how survivors and residents had to obtain financial assistance coren Simone Jones lived in flat 145 she says in the week after the
01:24:19 flat 145 she says in the week after the fire through word of mouth I learned that rbkc were providing money for survivors
01:24:25 survivors I went to the Rugby portello Club to ask about this when we got there the council wanted us to fill out applications for benefits but because both Jason and I worked they told us we were not entitled
01:24:36 worked they told us we were not entitled to anything I remember thinking what are they talking about we have lost everything and can't afford to replace it Abdul wahab Abdul Hamed says it was
01:24:49 it Abdul wahab Abdul Hamed says it was very difficult to get financial assistance from the council as I did not know who was respons ible for controlling the distribution of funds it was an uphill struggle for my brother-in-law and I to obtain funds
01:25:00 brother-in-law and I to obtain funds from the council and why as a resident and Survivor I received no help or information it was extremely distressing and I later found out that I had not
01:25:11 and I later found out that I had not received or even been told about all of the support and assistance that I was entitled to when I tried to claim for that assistance rbkc told me that it was too
01:25:23 too late Jenny dton when describing her interaction with rbkc at the Rugby Club says we had to write down on a piece of paper everything that we needed money
01:25:34 paper everything that we needed money for it was ridiculous that we would be treat being treated this way after our home had just been destroyed in the fire I found it embarrassing and dehumanizing
01:25:45 I found it embarrassing and dehumanizing to be treated this way Maria Gil went to the Westway Center to ask for more money she says the amount I received was not enough the man
01:25:56 amount I received was not enough the man I spoke with was incredibly patronizing he told me what did you use the 500 we already gave you for and again he asked why did you have to buy clothes you have
01:26:07 why did you have to buy clothes you have lots of secondhand choices here I had to explain to him and he backed down eventually I felt demeaned and humiliated there were discrepancies in
01:26:20 humiliated there were discrepancies in the amount of money that people received Rebecca Ross lived in flat 122 on the 15th floor of the Tower with her brother Bobby Ross and father Steven power her father perished in the fire she says
01:26:33 father perished in the fire she says that she received £500 within the first week of the fire from rbkc to be shared with her brother Muhammad Hariri who lived in flat 21 says he was given 00 in
01:26:45 lived in flat 21 says he was given 00 in cash around the 16th of June Elizabeth siek says that we were given cash at the rugby portabello this this was just to start us off as we had absolutely nothing at that point there
01:26:58 absolutely nothing at that point there were representatives of rbkc there who were asking people how much they thought they would need but of course this was impossible to answer because we had no idea where we were going or what was in
01:27:09 idea where we were going or what was in store for us I can't remember exactly but I think we were given around 300 at that
01:27:16 that point Elsa AFA worky lived in flat 16 of the tower but was not the named tenant she says when I went to the Westway kiosk to collect money the woman from
01:27:27 kiosk to collect money the woman from the council who was there did not believe me that I was a resident of grenell tower I think she was going to give me
01:27:35 give me £150 which was less than the £500 I had been told was available for all residents to help pay for emergency items she asked me to tell her what I was going to spend the money on and why
01:27:46 was going to spend the money on and why I needed it it felt insensitive I felt that she did not believe I had lost everything I was still very distressed as it was only a few days after the fire and I ended up
01:27:58 few days after the fire and I ended up simply giving the money back Brahim al- Amin a walkway resident went to Westway where he saw a table for financial assistance he says the man at
01:28:10 financial assistance he says the man at the stand asked for my address and asked if I wanted £50 I felt that this was ridiculous I was made to feel like a beggar because I needed more than that
01:28:23 beggar because I needed more than that they asked how much I need needed then gave me
01:28:26 gave me £00 the whole experience was embarrassing and felt like an insult Simon Jolly says in my view the system was really badly managed in that
01:28:37 system was really badly managed in that anyone who showed their proof of address would be given some cash with no idea of how long it was supposed to last for or what it was intended to cover some people say that they did not
01:28:50 cover some people say that they did not receive any financial assistance at all Mao toyoshima Lewis who lived in flat n says I did not receive any money or vouchers from the Westway Center as they
01:29:01 vouchers from the Westway Center as they had all gone by the time I was able to go and I did not know about them some survivors were refused assistance as they were not a formal tenant of the
01:29:12 they were not a formal tenant of the grenfell tower nagawa proy nuko lived in flat 71 on the 10th floor she says I was very scared to approach organizations
01:29:23 very scared to approach organizations and authorities because I was not a formal tenant of grenfell tower I approached the West way together with Lillian ol who was the official tenant of flat 71 to ask for clothes and
01:29:35 of flat 71 to ask for clothes and because I understood they were providing financial assistance they refused to give me a grant of funds because I was not a formal tenant vivana Rulo lived in barandon
01:29:47 tenant vivana Rulo lived in barandon walk with her partner David oconnell she says we could not afford to eat regularly in the hotel hotel and we were not receiving any financial assistance
01:29:58 not receiving any financial assistance rbkc staff kept on telling us that we were not entitled to anything as we were lease
01:30:04 lease holders Ahmed Al Sadi a hway walk resident says I went back to work on Saturday the 17th of June 2017 not because I felt ready to but
01:30:15 2017 not because I felt ready to but because I could not afford not to I had to support my family some residents did not receive assistance due to issues with the process and being told that the money
01:30:26 process and being told that the money had already been paid Farah suo from hway walk went to the Westway Center to ask for financial assistance and said that I was told that the money allocated
01:30:37 that I was told that the money allocated under my name had already been given to someone else they hadn't checked that person's ID I spoke to other residents that this happened to as well I just gave up in the end Muhammad Yahya lived
01:30:50 gave up in the end Muhammad Yahya lived in barandon walk with his wife and two children he also went to to Westway for financial assistance and says I was told that someone else had used my name and had taken the money that was meant for
01:31:01 had taken the money that was meant for me and my family this was never resolved turning now to section four on psychosocial support dealing first with the provision of psychological support and secondly the keyw worker system a
01:31:14 and secondly the keyw worker system a number of witnesses describe the significant impact the fire had on their mental health and their experiences of support in the immediate aftermath key issues included the lack of
01:31:26 key issues included the lack of information on psychological support available and delayed offers of support being
01:31:31 being made giara pavani lived in flat 22 of the Tower with her two sons she says I felt
01:31:40 felt broken Looking Back Now it would have been really helpful to have been offered some professional support in those days and weeks following I do not remember hearing about the possibility that I
01:31:51 hearing about the possibility that I could get counseling until quite a long time after the fire Jason Miller says there was no information in the immediate aftermath of the fire telling you where to go for
01:32:02 of the fire telling you where to go for psychological support at the time if you did not sort yourself out then you would be left behind nobody offered it directly you had to go yourself Leanne Maya Jackson LeBlanc
01:32:15 yourself Leanne Maya Jackson LeBlanc lived in Flat 6 she says I asked my social worker for counseling right at the beginning I said I just want to talk about the fire because I could not talk walk or sleep I just needed to get it
01:32:26 walk or sleep I just needed to get it all out of my system however I was told by my keyworker that you must wait 6 weeks after experiencing a trauma to be able to receive counseling this was not right how could
01:32:38 counseling this was not right how could that be
01:32:39 that be okay Florentina saak lived in flat 43 she describes the delay in being offered counseling about a year later I remember
01:32:50 counseling about a year later I remember receiving a voicemail and a letter which had details of a number to call if you wanted to have counseling from what I remember there was no other support at the time or offers of counseling before
01:33:02 the time or offers of counseling before then about two years after about two years after about two years after I received a second letter which referred to a specialist grel Tower counseling service at the local GP Center the
01:33:15 service at the local GP Center the information should have been made available much sooner because in the first few weeks after the fire when we needed it most it was not clear how to access these Services by the time these access points were clear it seemed a bit
01:33:28 access points were clear it seemed a bit late Sahar Jamal vatan says the support I got was minimal I was under the mental health Team for about 2 weeks they called into the hotel on a couple of
01:33:39 called into the hotel on a couple of occasions and then I never saw them again I feel that all along it was a battle for me to get any form of counseling or psychological support to deal with the trauma that I was living
01:33:50 deal with the trauma that I was living with I did not receive any counseling until 20
01:33:55 until 20 9 Bobby Ross lived in flat 122 he says the council should have but failed to provide urgent mental health support in the immediate aftermath of
01:34:06 support in the immediate aftermath of the fire so many people were struggling after the horrific fire and didn't know how to deal with it I didn't know where to get help with my mental health but I desperately needed it I didn't know how
01:34:17 desperately needed it I didn't know how to deal with my problems on my own he continues ultimately when I was my most most vulnerable there was no emergency mental health support available to me if
01:34:28 mental health support available to me if there was I didn't know about it some witnesses outline their experiences of the support that was available in rest centers and hotels rder s says there were staff from the
01:34:41 rder s says there were staff from the NHS at the Westway Center including trained psychologists to provide support there were also priests and imams to provide support the NHS staff also
01:34:52 provide support the NHS staff also visited the hotels to see families in the immediate aftermath of the fire however she says I did not have counseling for one year as I was outside of the burough and could not travel as
01:35:03 of the burough and could not travel as we had been housed so far away from the community and where lots of the services were being provided Sharon Ley lived in flat 65 on the 9th floor of the Tower with her daughter she was aware of the counseling
01:35:15 daughter she was aware of the counseling available at the Westway Center but chose not to use it she says I knew there was counseling available at the Westway but I did not engage I was more focused on the practicalities of trying
01:35:27 focused on the practicalities of trying to re rebuild mine and my daughter's life and finding a home also the counseling services never felt very private at the Westway with everyone
01:35:39 private at the Westway with everyone there Antonio ronal who lived in flat 72 on the 10th floor with his son and former sister-in-law was placed in the holiday in in Kensington on 16th of June
01:35:51 holiday in in Kensington on 16th of June and he says most days there were letters put under the door of our hotel room about support and counseling services available from the NHS psychologists or counselors were also available in the
01:36:03 counselors were also available in the hotel lobby at certain times of the day Jose vieo says as far as I was aware psychological support was always available if you needed it a lot of
01:36:14 available if you needed it a lot of people came to the hotel to see if we needed any support I did not seek out support of that type so I cannot comment on the quality but it seemed available walkway residents also experienced
01:36:26 walkway residents also experienced issues in relation to psychological support hel hel da yo Maho was a resident of Grell walk she says I was not offered any psychological support
01:36:38 not offered any psychological support and no one from the council visited or contacted me I felt that I had to support myself and just try to cope even though I felt so unwell and overwhelmed I was at the Hilton Hotel for 6 months
01:36:50 I was at the Hilton Hotel for 6 months before I was able to access any psychological support Javon Moses says I never received any treatment despite signing up for it I gave my room number
01:37:01 signing up for it I gave my room number and contact details I was left waiting for a very long time this made me feel ignored because nothing was happening I wish I had counseling much sooner I really would have benefited from
01:37:13 really would have benefited from it some walkway residents said they experienced issues issues with counseling due to language barriers Zahra Al Assad says I did not received
01:37:24 Zahra Al Assad says I did not received any counseling from anybody not in the hotel or not anywhere or not elsewhere I have not received any psychological support especially because we do not know the language and we are illiterate
01:37:36 know the language and we are illiterate so even if we see something in writing we would not be able to recognize if it was helpful to us Amina kabo lived in teston walk she says at some point I
01:37:48 teston walk she says at some point I cannot remember when we were appointed a key worker she told us that we could request coun cing I was really struggling at the time so I decided to start counseling as I do not speak
01:37:59 start counseling as I do not speak English they provided an interpreter but it was very difficult for me to fully benefit from the process when everything had to go through a third person so I stopped attending after two
01:38:10 stopped attending after two months contrastingly some were more positive about the availability of psychological support Jessica Jessica Gomez says there was quite a lot of psychological support available it was
01:38:21 psychological support available it was all at the Red Cross and West way you would get a lot of psychological support if you needed to speak to somebody I was not ready to do so but I knew that it was available to me a number of witnesses who lost loved
01:38:35 me a number of witnesses who lost loved ones in the fire describe their experiences of the provision of psychological support in the immediate aftermath a key issue was the absence of support available ARA gami who has sadly
01:38:48 support available ARA gami who has sadly passed away since giving her witness statement to the inquiry lost her brother brother Abdul Al wahabi Abdul aiz Al wahabi and his family she says
01:38:59 aiz Al wahabi and his family she says she said I didn't see any psychological support or surfaces being offered in the first days and weeks after the fire she continues I didn't have a key worker
01:39:10 continues I didn't have a key worker until around 6 months after the fire we are quite a large family and I wasn't expecting all of us to be supported but I was shocked that no one from rbkc had
01:39:21 I was shocked that no one from rbkc had contacted my mom she had lost her daughter daughter-in-law son and three grandchildren and no one checked on her I Googled Grandpa's support and spoke to someone I was really upset and cried on
01:39:33 someone I was really upset and cried on the phone and told her that my mom wasn't getting any support sadik Jamal kbo lost his sister nura Jamal her husband Hashim Kadir and
01:39:44 nura Jamal her husband Hashim Kadir and their three children yakub feros and Yahya who lived in flat 192 of the tower he says I received no offers of emotional or psychological support from
01:39:55 emotional or psychological support from rbkc the first offer of support of any kind was when we were attending the hearings and met an Amharic speaking counselor working with Hestia who identified our need for emotional
01:40:07 identified our need for emotional support and arranged for this this was in mid 2018 about a year after the fire some witnesses felt that theyve received timely support zudin lost his
01:40:19 received timely support zudin lost his daughter zanab deine and his grandchild Jeremiah who lived in flat 15 of the tower he says I was offered mental health support from the Red Cross in the form of counseling services this help
01:40:32 form of counseling services this help was provided straight away and I was initially put in touch with the Red Cross by rbkc who gave me a contact number for them turning now to the topic of keyw
01:40:43 them turning now to the topic of keyw workers a number of witnesses share their experiences of the keyw worker system key issues include the timeliness of allocation inconsistent quality in the service provided and they and the
01:40:55 the service provided and they and the high turnover of key workers survivors were assigned key workers at different times kin Simone Jones was assigned a keyw worker within the first 24 hours of the fire she says
01:41:08 the first 24 hours of the fire she says in the first 24 hours after the fire there were a number of keyw workers who called me or texted me saying they were my key worker and asked me what we needed right now they were all telling
01:41:19 needed right now they were all telling me different things however others had to wait much longer for keyw worker mahmu Jamal vatan who lived in flat 10 of the tower says for the first three or four months there was no keyw worker
01:41:31 four months there was no keyw worker allocated to me David Andrew Benjamin a survivor of the fire says I was not assigned a key worker immediately after the fire as I was not a resident of the tower this
01:41:43 was not a resident of the tower this means that I did not receive information about services such just counseling which would have been which would have helped me after the fire I was not offered any support by our KC until 2018
01:41:55 offered any support by our KC until 2018 when I was allocated the same key worker as Zoe and her family but this was only after I I requested this as I was struggling walkway residents also
01:42:06 struggling walkway residents also experienced delays in being assigned key workers Caesar Rito says we were told we could have a key worker but it was difficult for us to get one it seemed like the council was short of Staff we
01:42:18 like the council was short of Staff we got a key worker in around September or October 2017 some walkway residents were not assigned a key worker at all Glenn young who lived with his wife in hway walk says we
01:42:31 lived with his wife in hway walk says we did not hear from rbkc following the night of the fire and we were not allocated a keyw worker although we had heard of others who had keyw workers we were not a signed one and did not get
01:42:42 were not a signed one and did not get any information about keyw workers it was as if we had been missed out Agnes Murray lived in baradan walk with her daughter she says I was told I
01:42:54 with her daughter she says I was told I would not be given a key worker as they were only for Grenville Tower and Grenville walk residents at some point later I was told that I would be given some kind of support worker they did not
01:43:05 some kind of support worker they did not make it clear to me that this policy had changed I was assigned one the worker met with me listened and gave some advice but I was not sure what powers they had to help some bereaved
01:43:16 they had to help some bereaved individuals were assigned key workers some time after the fire Anna pumar the former partner of Gary MERS who lived in flat 161 of the Tower and perished in the fire says around a month after the
01:43:29 the fire says around a month after the disaster I was contacted by a key support
01:43:32 support worker who has again provided us with any support and assistance that we have needed included being including being signposted to psychological support
01:43:43 signposted to psychological support which we have accessed without issue Farah Janiah a bereaved relative of Foria El harby and her family says I read a message on the Grell wats group
01:43:54 read a message on the Grell wats group The rbkc were providing a key worker to families as a point of contact we did not have a key worker and we had not been contacted by rbkc about this we were allocated a key worker around the
01:44:06 were allocated a key worker around the around 16th of August 2017 after our family liaison officer contacted rbkc to ask about this experiences of key workers varied
01:44:19 this experiences of key workers varied with some witnesses finding them a helpful point of contact whilst others found them unhelpful Zoe dton says that her family was assigned a key worker within the first week following the fire she says
01:44:32 first week following the fire she says at the time I did I did not think she was very good but I have now reflected and think she was overwhelmed she failed to pass on important information for example my family was not told that we
01:44:45 example my family was not told that we were entitled to a £30 per day food allowance while staying at the hotel she continues my impression having spoken to other grenfell Tower residents was that people had mixed
01:44:57 residents was that people had mixed experiences with their keyw workers some keyw workers were clearly more engaged than others it became obvious when speaking to other residents that often different and sometimes contradictory
01:45:08 different and sometimes contradictory information was provided on what support and assistance was available to us mes Rob mesr casm deian lived in flat 141 on the 17th floor of the Tower with
01:45:21 141 on the 17th floor of the Tower with his aunt say and he says the key workers we have had have all been very nice but they have been unprepared which meant that the support they were supposed to provide has been
01:45:32 provide has been non-existent we always received information before they did as we were receiving our information from the community we didn't need a keyworker they may have been more effective if
01:45:43 they may have been more effective if they if they were fully informed and gave us some information about what to expect but there has been absolutely no structure which simply increased stress and
01:45:54 and uncertainty Sharon lucky says at first there was little communication from rbkc but this improved after I was assigned a keyworker around 7 days after the fire
01:46:07 keyworker around 7 days after the fire the first keyworker was brought in from another local Authority for the first couple of weeks I found it helpful to have a single point of contact the three key workers assigned to me were helpful
01:46:19 key workers assigned to me were helpful and informative they regularly kept me updated by telephone and email about what support and services were available however I know other people had very different experiences with their
01:46:31 different experiences with their keyworkers churak Patel says our first key worker was not very good in fact he was very unhelpful often he would not respond to our queries and when he did
01:46:42 respond to our queries and when he did when he and when he did he usually did not know the answer for that reason we eventually stopped asking him for help we did have one key worker that was very good but he had to step down after about
01:46:53 good but he had to step down after about 2 weeks as he had been assigned too many people to look after as a result we mostly organized anything we needed ourselves rather than relying on keyw workers at one point everything had to
01:47:05 workers at one point everything had to be done through our keyworker which made things more difficult as they were not always
01:47:11 always responsive Hae hot gasa lived in flat 131 with her husband Richard Fletcher and their daughter she says even when people were appointed key workers the
01:47:23 people were appointed key workers the key workers were ill informed and were not able to give the help that they were meant to it was complete confusion Aiza rahani describes her first keyw worker as unfamiliar with the
01:47:36 first keyw worker as unfamiliar with the area as he was not previously based in rbkc and seemed unable to provide information about my entitlements and where I was supposed to attend I also
01:47:47 where I was supposed to attend I also found my second key worker extremely unhelpful and at times she was very argumentative which I found very upsetting it would have been helpful if rbkc had provided
01:47:58 have been helpful if rbkc had provided me with an Arabic keyworker from the outset walkway residents also experienced issues with the keyworker system Jaclyn Haynes says initially keyw
01:48:10 system Jaclyn Haynes says initially keyw workers lacked The Authority or position to make decisions or authorize any real actions they were basically support workers just to be there if they wanted
01:48:21 workers just to be there if they wanted to do anything that cost money they would have needed approval it was a support Placebo and not very helpful they had volunteer workers which worried me as we did not know who they were
01:48:32 me as we did not know who they were there was no safeguarding after concerns were expressed the plan was changed and properly trained workers were used instead however no one I knew got anything helpful from them at this
01:48:44 anything helpful from them at this time jevin Moses says rbkc simply did not communicate with us I think key workers were getting out Clauses for the council they were the scapegoats and
01:48:56 council they were the scapegoats and rbkc put them in front of us so they didn't have to deal with us themselves a number of witnesses experienced a high turnover of keyw workers which caused issues Omar alhaj
01:49:09 workers which caused issues Omar alhaj Ali says in relation to his first key worker she was very helpful and became like a friend to me I felt she supported me not just because it was her job but because she wanted to she she would tell
01:49:22 because she wanted to she she would tell me what I could apply for however she stopped working for rbkc for 3 months and thereafter he says I then had a period with no keyw workers before being allocated a string
01:49:34 workers before being allocated a string of different keyw workers I would have to explain the situation all over again I remember one keyw worker would not contact me and I would contact her and she would not answer some keyw workers
01:49:46 she would not answer some keyw workers did not seem to know the answers to my question and I do not feel they understood the situation rash Ali says I was overwhelmed from how many people I had to meet and keep telling each person my
01:49:59 to meet and keep telling each person my story again and again each new keyworker had no idea of my history and I had to keep repeating it all even when they wrote something down they lost the paperwork and would ask me again for the
01:50:11 paperwork and would ask me again for the same information it was not professional and they didn't know what they were doing they had no experience of dealing with us who dealing with us who were facing such trauma it felt like they
01:50:23 facing such trauma it felt like they were just hiring people anyone Michael sa who lived in flat 43 says we had a large number of keyw workers in the end I would phone up and
01:50:34 workers in the end I would phone up and ask to speak to you the keyw worker and they would say that it had Chang change to someone else and that would be the first that we had heard of it I tried not to contact the keyw workers too
01:50:45 not to contact the keyw workers too often as they didn't seem to know too much I lost faith in them being able to help
01:50:51 help us Lorraine Beetle who was a resident in flat 13 of the tower but was abroad at the time of the fire says I had so many keyw workers I have lost count most of
01:51:02 keyw workers I have lost count most of them were very difficult to contact and the whole system was a nightmare I had one lovely keyw worker she was helpful with everything I asked of her after her however I had a further eight or nine
01:51:13 however I had a further eight or nine key workers some of these I have only met I've met only once or twice some I tried to contact but had no look luck as I called them and they never answered I
01:51:25 I called them and they never answered I never met these ones at all farad NADA says rbkc continually changed our keyw workers which was very difficult each time we were given a new
01:51:36 difficult each time we were given a new keyworker I had to explain everything again sometimes I called to speak to my keyw worker only to find out that they had left in total I have had four keyw workers and the first and the last one
01:51:47 workers and the first and the last one were very good and helpful some walkway residents had positive experience iences with their initial keyw workers who were later changed Thomasina Hessel says I had a
01:51:59 changed Thomasina Hessel says I had a fantastic keyworker at the start who had been working with me from before the fire she went way above and beyond to reassure me unfortunately she left a few months after the fire because she was
01:52:10 months after the fire because she was traumatized as a result of her work I didn't like her replacement as she gave me blanket advice rather than this being tailored to me and my specific needs it felt like textbook advice and and so I
01:52:22 felt like textbook advice and and so I found her approach not very helpful OT Ben kaula a resident of gral walk says my keyw worker was very helpful and she offered emotional
01:52:33 helpful and she offered emotional support I was very sad to hear that she was not offered a permanent role with rbkc as a key worker in those circumstances she was unable to continue working with me ibtisam ala says I got
01:52:47 working with me ibtisam ala says I got my first keyw worker around 10 days after the fire she was a nice lady she would help me and tell me what I need I had a big argument with rbkc because they took her away around 19th of
01:52:59 they took her away around 19th of December
01:53:00 December 2017 me and my kids cried we were very attached to her and it was a very sad day later on we got a different keyw worker and I did not like her at all because she did not do her job properly
01:53:12 because she did not do her job properly since the fire I have had five key workers Michael Saia says I knew this was an unprecedented circumstance for rbkc and I tried to be patient for that
01:53:24 rbkc and I tried to be patient for that reason I had tried to build a rapport with people and to ask to speak with the people that had visited the hotel or the person allocated as our keyw worker but I don't think I ever spoke to anyone I
01:53:36 I don't think I ever spoke to anyone I knew or even the same person twice it just made the whole ordeal even more unbearable turning now to section five on information for those looking for
01:53:47 on information for those looking for those missing Witnesses share their experiences of searching for beloved ones in hospitals and rest centers calling the casualty Bureau and being assigned family liais on officers a key
01:54:00 assigned family liais on officers a key issue is the absence of a clear and centralized system of information about those who were missing a number of people looking for their families and loved ones searched in rest centers marleene Anderson was
01:54:13 in rest centers marleene Anderson was looking for her father Raymond Bernard who lived in flat 2011 on the 23rd floor of the F Tower she attended the Westway Center on 19th of June and days I walked into the Westway Center
01:54:25 days I walked into the Westway Center and registered my name with reception the atmosphere in there was chaotic there were lots of different desks for all sorts of different things none of which really helped me everything seemed
01:54:36 which really helped me everything seemed aimed at providing help for survivors of course all of this was incredibly important but as a family member who had a missing relative I felt nothing in the center was relevant or helpful to me it
01:54:49 center was relevant or helpful to me it did not really seem like it was for those who were looking for love ones so once again I was left feeling lost with no direction of what to do or where to go
01:55:00 go next Muhammad ragab lost his nephew hasham Rahman who lived in flat 204 on the 23rd floor of the tower he told staff at the entrance of the Westway
01:55:12 staff at the entrance of the Westway that he was looking for his nephew and he was allowed in he says I was really shocked at what I saw inside it was like a refugee camp there were people on the floor who had escaped the Tower with no
01:55:24 floor who had escaped the Tower with no place to sleep I saw rbkc inside I think I also saw TMO staff there were lots of people there it was hectic it was not organized at all I was not given any
01:55:36 organized at all I was not given any information about Hisham whilst I was there or what to do next others were not allowed entry into the Westway Center when looking for their loved ones rajer tat lost her
01:55:47 their loved ones rajer tat lost her uncle Abdul aiz Al wahabi and his family she says when I arrived at the Westway Center the volunteers would not allow me entry as they told me I needed a wristband to identify me as a relative
01:55:59 wristband to identify me as a relative of the deceased I had no idea how to obtain one which was very frustrating NOA El bagdadi the bed cousin of Hisham Rahman says I went to
01:56:11 cousin of Hisham Rahman says I went to all of the relief centers and shelters set up in the local area that I knew of including St Clement and St James Church the Methodist Church the almanar mosque the Westway Center and the Rugby Club I
01:56:22 the Westway Center and the Rugby Club I went to each one asking if people had seen hisam or knew any information about him the atmosphere in these shelters was horrible everything was hectic there were people everywhere it was the
01:56:33 were people everywhere it was the community who was trying to help and were trying to provide answers about what to do and where to go Farah Janiah went to various rest centers in search of her missing family
01:56:44 centers in search of her missing family including the rug Rugby Club St Clement's church Notting Hill Church latima church and the Westway Center she she says I felt so frustrated that there were a number of rest centers which had
01:56:57 were a number of rest centers which had opened up for survivors but when I went in they were just full of volunteers and donations I was so confused as to where any of the survivors were I wanted to speak to them to find out if they knew
01:57:08 speak to them to find out if they knew the family or had seen them there seemed to be a real lack of organization or a plan in place for where everyone should go to get help the different centers were handing out food and water and I
01:57:20 were handing out food and water and I didn't take any donations as all I was looking for was guidance on where else I should go to find out what happened to my
01:57:29 my family Amina CH yahi lost her brother Abdul aiz alwahabi and his family she says at some point we were asked to leave rugby portabello I think this was
01:57:41 leave rugby portabello I think this was a horrible thing to do to us we were told that rugby portabello was only for people who had lost their homes and had nowhere to go we didn't know what to do it was unbearable
01:57:53 it was unbearable a number of witnesses described their efforts in trying to find their family members and loved ones in the absence of any clear and centralized information Sabah Abdullah lived in flat
01:58:05 information Sabah Abdullah lived in flat 143 of the Tower with his wife Khadija khui who per perished in the fire he was placed in a hotel on 14th of June he says I was so I was still so worried
01:58:17 says I was so I was still so worried about my wife I remember speaking to members of the press in case they could help me find her her I remember going to hospitals to look for my wife I didn't know how to get support from anyone
01:58:28 know how to get support from anyone official or where to go to find out about my wife I would not wish this situation on my worst enemy I could not think about anything other than finding my
01:58:37 my wife he continues I found it hard to access information after the fire at this time I was out of my mind with sorrow my wife had gone and I wanted to
01:58:48 sorrow my wife had gone and I wanted to join her I did not know where to go to turn for
01:58:54 turn for help Chanel Spence lost her uncle Gary MERS she says I carried on looking in the area desperately trying to find information about my uncle Gary the days
01:59:06 information about my uncle Gary the days that followed would consist a full hours from day to night for many days and so it is difficult for me to be precise about timeline we just went through it nonstop it was chaos it was all a
01:59:18 nonstop it was chaos it was all a blur Miriam lamel lost her daughter Deborah lampel who lived in flat 161 of the tower she says there was no system in place for people like me who were
01:59:30 in place for people like me who were desperate to hear information about their loved ones but who could not make themselves easily visible to the authorities had I not had the help of Debbie's colleagues or my relatives I am concerned I might have been completely
01:59:43 concerned I might have been completely forgotten or overlooked the authorities relied too much on the assumption that people looking for information about their loved ones would know where to go or who who to call she continues my
01:59:54 or who who to call she continues my daughter was taken from me and nothing will make up for that but my anguish in that first week would have been much easier to cope with if I had been given clear and regular updates from those who
02:00:06 clear and regular updates from those who were in charge of the recovery
02:00:10 effort Marlene Anderson says about the 14th of June I then called around a collection of different hospitals asking about my dad and whether he had been
02:00:21 about my dad and whether he had been admitted none of them could tell me anything I did not know who to call or where to get information which was incredibly frustrating it was such an awful feeling I felt like I was just
02:00:33 awful feeling I felt like I was just being batted around literally going around in circles with no clear direction or answers on what I could do she
02:00:41 she continues Looking Back Now it was the lack of information in the first week or so that was really crippling it was chaotic I still did not know where to go or who to ask for information I felt
02:00:54 or who to ask for information I felt totally
02:00:56 totally lost Jud Jud weer Noak a bed relative of Hisham Rahman says there was no information center or Central Point where residents and the bereaved could go and leave their details and find out
02:01:09 go and leave their details and find out what had been established so far there should have been a designated place for people to approach to raise their concerns or leave information relatives of the El wahabi
02:01:20 information relatives of the El wahabi family experienced issues with the lack of communication Ahmed chelot says I did not receive any information about any Services regarding those who were missing or deceased from the council or
02:01:32 missing or deceased from the council or the casualty Bureau any information released by the police seemed to be on an ad hoc basis and there did not appear to be a coordinated effort to relay information I was so
02:01:43 information I was so frustrated Abdul hammed alw Herby says I was lost nobody contacted me I felt that I had no support and that myself and my family did not
02:01:55 family did not matter Amina Cher yahi says at some point on 14th of June 2017 before we came home I remember speaking with a woman who told me she was from the TMO
02:02:07 woman who told me she was from the TMO she took the names of my brother and his family she said that she would be okay she would be back in touch but she was never back in touch she didn't even ever ask if we were okay no one from the TMO
02:02:18 ask if we were okay no one from the TMO ever got in touch with us I am appalled by this she continues after the fire no one from rbkc or the TMO got in touch with me my husband my son or my daughter
02:02:30 with me my husband my son or my daughter we were struggling with everything we had no keyw workers and no support from anyone nothing at all it was my son Bal who found out that we were entitled to support this was in September
02:02:43 support this was in September 2017 a number of witnesses share their observations on the absence of a list of residents and how this impacted the search for those who were were missing Joseph Kyle John says there was no way
02:02:55 Joseph Kyle John says there was no way to find people after the fire there were people everywhere and I could not tell who was who rbk KC did not have a proper list to identify people there was a lot
02:03:06 list to identify people there was a lot of confusion in trying to identify people I think rbkc failed to do their job as they should have helped make a list of people that had survived the fire and those that were missing rbkc
02:03:18 fire and those that were missing rbkc did not even know who was missing after the fire it was only through the work of the community community volunteers that a list of missing people was put together nicholis Burton says I remember
02:03:31 together nicholis Burton says I remember that at the rugby portabello there was a big piece of cardboard on which someone had made a grid of the tower as people came through the center they could add their own details to their flat or add
02:03:42 their own details to their flat or add information about any residents or survivors they had seen alive since the fire this meant that we were able to piece together our own picture of what had happened to our friends and Neighbors which people could add to if
02:03:55 Neighbors which people could add to if and when they saw someone they knew or recognized we were not getting information from the authorities about our friends and neighbors so this provided us with a way of piecing together what had happened to people
02:04:09 together what had happened to people ourselves Jenny dton says I do not remember when rbkc finally arrived at the Rugby Club to organize emergency accommodation for residents they were placed in a separate room from the main
02:04:20 placed in a separate room from the main hall I was shocked the rbkc did not turn up with a list of residents names from Grenville Tower instead they were asking residents who we were and what flat we
02:04:31 residents who we were and what flat we lived in it was clear that they had no idea some witnesses raised concern about about how the absence of clear and centralized information led to
02:04:42 centralized information led to misinformation Mikel chetto says on the night of the fire I had no idea what had happened to B burti and beruk I was desperate to to find them and was anxiously searching for them I visited
02:04:55 anxiously searching for them I visited the pub on latima road where some survivors had been taken went to the Leisure Center and started going to hospitals from around 7:00 a.m. I went to five hospitals all over London
02:05:06 to five hospitals all over London visiting them more than once each time I was told that burky and book was not on the list at one point I was told someone had seen Biro in an ambulance and berky
02:05:17 had seen Biro in an ambulance and berky on the stairs my heart would leap and I would have hope but misinformation seemed everywhere and there was just no source of reliable information in the afternoon I went to
02:05:28 information in the afternoon I went to hm coroner's office in West Minister and was told that they had not heard of burky or book it was desperate Farah Janiah says I did not know whether Foria and her family were
02:05:40 know whether Foria and her family were dead or alive I kept hearing contradictory things from people on the street about the El Herbies there was a lot of information about survivors being spread by Word of Mouth
02:05:52 spread by Word of Mouth and it was difficult to know what was true or not I saw no one near the tower who was an official who could help me this made it even more overwhelming Samuel Daniels says we
02:06:04 overwhelming Samuel Daniels says we spent all day looking for my father in case somehow he had got out we called all the hospitals we were told gfal Tower victims had gone to I was told by my rent officer to go to the Salvation
02:06:15 my rent officer to go to the Salvation Army in portabello where they have a family reunion Center and that my father was there and marked his safe I told them that he was not there and that he cannot be safe I went and my father was
02:06:27 cannot be safe I went and my father was not
02:06:29 not there Anne Murphy lost her brother Dennis Murphy who lived in flat 111 on the 14th floor of the tower she says I remember that my two daughters came back
02:06:40 remember that my two daughters came back from the Rugby Club with information that Dennis was alive they were told by someone with a badge that Dennis was rescued even my brother phoned me on the afternoon of the 14th of June to say that Dennis was
02:06:52 the 14th of June to say that Dennis was alive as he had just been told at one of the centers that he Dennis was in one of the hospitals we all cheered at this news but we were just being given completely false information from
02:07:04 completely false information from different
02:07:06 different sources a number of witnesses share their experiences of calling the casualty Bureau Miriam lampol says about the 14th of June I remember we called
02:07:17 the 14th of June I remember we called that number what felt like hundreds of times that day I would say that the communication between the authorities and relatives of those missing should have been much better had I not contacted the casualty
02:07:29 better had I not contacted the casualty Bureau myself I am not sure anyone would have thought to contact me at all when I called the casualty Bureau number I was only ever told to call back another time for more
02:07:41 for more information an Murphy says as soon as the emergency number did appear I called immediately and got a recorded message that there was no people to answer calls as they were waiting for call handlers I
02:07:54 as they were waiting for call handlers I eventually did get through to the emergency number I cannot remember exactly what I said but their response was that someone would come around or someone would call me however we did not
02:08:05 someone would call me however we did not hear anything back from this emergency number it was of no practical use to us at all Bushra El gura a bereaved relative of the El wahabi family says I
02:08:16 relative of the El wahabi family says I also called the helpline that too was disappointing the person on the line asked me the names of my missing family flat and floor number that is all the information they requested it was a
02:08:28 information they requested it was a one-way conversation and they did not even take my number it was not a helpl line but purely a way for the authorities to gather information it was
02:08:39 authorities to gather information it was not devised to help Keen loved ones to help keep loved ones informed and I think this should be considered in future the only suggestion they gave me was to call hospitals for information
02:08:52 was to call hospitals for information Shaman bernardet Bernard lost her brother Raymond Moses who lived in flat 2011 she says on the morning of the fire I contacted the helpline which I saw on
02:09:03 I contacted the helpline which I saw on the TV I was given a reference of m110 and on the second call m182 to use when calling back however often when I tried to call back I couldn't get through as line was
02:09:15 couldn't get through as line was constantly engaged this could be due to the lack of organization and coordination or an indication of the large numbers of people seeking to utilize the helpline
02:09:26 utilize the helpline service Senate Jones says on the news there was a telephone help line to call to report missing people from the fire I called the number on the day of the fire 14th of June the phone operator asked
02:09:38 14th of June the phone operator asked for names of my family members their dates of birth flat number and the last contact we had with them and said that I should call back if I had any updates they didn't give me any information they
02:09:49 they didn't give me any information they were just taking down the details they gave me a reference number to quote for the call I called the number again three or four times that day but didn't receive any information they never called me back it seemed like their role
02:10:02 called me back it seemed like their role was solely to take information from me I remember pleading with them is there anything you can tell me please and they said we can't I'm sorry some individuals who lost loved
02:10:14 sorry some individuals who lost loved ones were based abroad and had concerns about the absence of official information Russia ibraim was abroad at the time of the fire she lost her sister Ria ibraim and her daughters fatia and
02:10:27 Ria ibraim and her daughters fatia and hania who lived in flat 203 of the tower she
02:10:31 she says I was desperate for official information I really wish that some official had made contact with me directly to update me even if the content of the update was that there was
02:10:42 content of the update was that there was no confirmation and that they were still missing this would have helped immensely in terms of understanding what was known and what was not known some witnesses share their experiences
02:10:54 some witnesses share their experiences of how they found out that their loved ones had perished in the fire Omar alhaj Ali says I find it very upsetting to know that photographs had been taken of
02:11:05 know that photographs had been taken of my brother lying on the ground and put up on the
02:11:09 up on the Internet however what upset me the most was knowing that Muhammad had been left lying on the ground outside testan walk I didn't know how long he had been left
02:11:20 I didn't know how long he had been left there but he must have have been left unattended otherwise someone could not have taken a picture of him I found this very distressing I think my brother should have been treated with more
02:11:31 should have been treated with more dignity and respect Peter John Murphy lost his father Dennis Murphy in the fire he says I was never officially told that my father had died I heard from the news
02:11:44 father had died I heard from the news that they confirmed my dad had died but I thought they had misspoken about it and would apologize for it later Janette greame Shao says I had
02:11:57 later Janette greame Shao says I had just lost my son and I felt like no one cared no one except friends and family approached us to help instead we were left in the dark and felt alone we only
02:12:09 left in the dark and felt alone we only even found out that Isaac had died on the news I'm am very angry and upset about how we were treated by the authorities no one had information and we found out that I had lost my son in
02:12:21 we found out that I had lost my son in an extremely insensitive way I feel like things should have been handled better Witnesses share their experiences of being assigned family liaison
02:12:32 of being assigned family liaison officers some share their positive experiences Marlene Anderson was assigned a family liaison officer around a week after the fire she says I felt like I finally had a source of
02:12:43 like I finally had a source of information and had someone to contact with questions he did not have any news for me at first but just having him call me me offering to support me and assure me that he would let me know as soon as
02:12:56 me that he would let me know as soon as any more information was out there was so much more reassuring before speaking to my family leaan officer it was horrible I felt totally lost and did not know who to ask
02:13:07 totally lost and did not know who to ask for information anybody I did ask did not really help me others share more negative experiences Omar alhaj Ali says a police
02:13:18 experiences Omar alhaj Ali says a police officer introduced himself to me in the hospital and said he was a family Leo leaan officer he did not want to tell me a lot of information about Muhammad I did not feel like talking to the police
02:13:29 did not feel like talking to the police at that time he looked serious and difficult to talk to he looked like a very formal official who would only give me information when he had to Farah Janiah says I was not aware that
02:13:41 Janiah says I was not aware that families were allocated a police Family leaz An Officer dedicated to them my mom had called the police several times and had told them that we were fers family so we were sure that the police knew to
02:13:53 so we were sure that the police knew to contact us with any information that they had about the alwahabi family she continues to say I received an email from two detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service their email
02:14:05 Metropolitan Police Service their email explained that they had been in contact with the family of Abdul aiz and they were under the impression that they were the only family of the AL wahabis in the UK I felt really angry about this I had
02:14:16 UK I felt really angry about this I had also done my best in writing down our contact details on the lists that centers had been collating this now seemed a waste of time and effort what happened to this information did the
02:14:27 happened to this information did the police and rbkc receive it but disregard it some were not assigned a family liaan officer at all hayat El Sosi who lived in sedan lost their sister fatia alosi
02:14:40 in sedan lost their sister fatia alosi niece isra ibraim and nephew Abu fras ibraim they say despite being a bereaved family member I have not been provided
02:14:51 family member I have not been provided with a police Family liais An Officer the fact that I have not been given a family liais an officer has made me feel marginalized and unimportant in the eyes of the
02:15:03 of the police sir I note the time I'm about to start section six I'm happy to continue um you've got three sections still to go is that right yes I do and can you give
02:15:17 is that right yes I do and can you give us any indication of how long you think you may need to complete it um I think it's going to be about 45 minutes at
02:15:29 it's going to be about 45 minutes at least
02:15:31 least um
02:15:33 um my preference would have been to finish it this evening but I'm a little concerned that everyone's had quite a long day and I have the stenographer
02:15:44 long day and I have the stenographer particularly in mind so I'm rather reluctant to continue for another 45 minutes just give me a moment
02:15:52 moment too
02:15:58 long if we're going to if we're going to push it
02:16:02 push it over what it will do tomorrow's you got tomorrow's thanks okay do you think
02:16:14 [Music] G well you never know because the trouble is you can't tell how long going to
02:16:24 be well we can't do 45 minutes tonight can
02:16:35 we St
02:16:39 St yeah so yes can I suggest that I carry on with Section six and complete that now with Section seven and Section 8 we can complete at some point during the BS
02:16:50 can complete at some point during the BS are evidence over the next they're relatively self-contained aren't they they are yes all right well let's do that um section six will take you what
02:17:01 that um section six will take you what 10 10 minutes 15 minutes about that yes I'm just going to on for can you she's very obliging thank you yes all right let's
02:17:14 obliging thank you yes all right let's continue and we'll do section six and then we'll decide where we put in sections seven and eight course all right thank all right thank you turning now to section six on Public
02:17:27 you turning now to section six on Public Communication a number of witnesses describe poor communication about what support was available and that there was a need to be proactive in order to receive assistance Abdul wahab Abdul
02:17:38 receive assistance Abdul wahab Abdul Hamed says there was a complete lack of information from anyone telling us what support was available and as a result of this confusion there was an unequal distribution of support as those who
02:17:51 distribution of support as those who found out information first were able to receive assistance whilst others like my family knew nothing of the services were left behind this particularly affected
02:18:02 left behind this particularly affected vulnerable people including myself and my wife who had mobility issues and was heavily pregnant this also affected anyone who did not speak English Jenny F Quang who lived in flat
02:18:14 English Jenny F Quang who lived in flat 76 says in the week following the fire I do not remember having any communication with someone from rbkc about what services they were providing and where to go for help I received no text
02:18:27 to go for help I received no text messages calls or emails from rbkc they and the TMO should have had my contact details from our records in the aftermath of the fire I would regularly Check rbk's website to see if they had
02:18:40 Check rbk's website to see if they had uploaded any news or information but I didn't see that they were using this to communicate with survivors and residents their website wasn't helpful to me hi
02:18:51 their website wasn't helpful to me hi hot gash says the only way to try and get the help and services was by me contacting the various bodies including rbkc via email and telephone however it
02:19:03 rbkc via email and telephone however it was a nightmare and the last thing that I needed on top of all of the other stress they would not action any of our pleas for help Jose vieiro says if my English was not as good if I did not
02:19:16 English was not as good if I did not have the support of my friends and family around me I would not have received the amount or quality of the help and support that I received in order to receive information about the services and support you had to be
02:19:29 services and support you had to be proactive it was all received through the grape vine and By Word of Mouth you did not want to feel left out and miss something so within the chaos you had to try Leanne Maya Jackson LeBlanc says I
02:19:43 try Leanne Maya Jackson LeBlanc says I started to use social media to stay locked in and attend meetings I started to contact people I.E groups of people people who were survivors which seemed to be the best way to keep informed
02:19:54 to be the best way to keep informed there was so much information flying around it was chaotic it seemed that you had to get out there and obtain information yourself you received little otherwise contrastingly some had more
02:20:06 otherwise contrastingly some had more positive experiences in terms of receiving information Daniel Brendan Griffin who lived in flat 31 of the tower says generally speaking information was communicated to me by
02:20:18 information was communicated to me by phone and email I think I was generally kept informed and if I needed anything the key worker helped Mustafa Abdul did not think there was an absence of information but that
02:20:30 was an absence of information but that people were not in a position to engage he says I think that there was a lot of information out there for residents of the Lancaster West estate but the issue was that because of what had happened
02:20:42 was that because of what had happened and because it was so traumatic people were not in the right frame of mind to be able to engage with the information out there
02:20:50 out there a number of survivors and residents did not speak English as a first language as a result they faced challenges in accessing support and services mahmu
02:21:01 accessing support and services mahmu Jamal vatan says from my point of view other survivors of the fire received lots more help than we did both of the financial kind and other support like clothes and food I do not know how they
02:21:13 clothes and food I do not know how they received more support than we did was it because I did not speak English she continues I have had significant difficulty in accessing things because I do not read English well and the
02:21:25 do not read English well and the facilities for interpreting information into phy have been very poor I feel disadvantaged by this I've always had to chase information rather than it being provided to me I feel that this may mean
02:21:38 provided to me I feel that this may mean that I have missed out on donations that were given out by other Charities because of my language problems I feel it has not been fair or equal hang hanwang says the first time that I
02:21:50 hanwang says the first time that I recall direct contact from them was when I received a letter at the hotel from rbkc which was about a week after the fire this was written in English and my daughter had to translate it for me even
02:22:03 daughter had to translate it for me even when letters were sent to me in the hotel they were written in English and I couldn't read them when there were meetings for residents I didn't have an interpreter so I couldn't understand what was being said I would have felt
02:22:14 what was being said I would have felt more supported if rbkc had arranged an interpreter for me for meeting things or had letters translated for me it would have meant I could get information
02:22:25 have meant I could get information directly and not rely on my family and friends Maria Jafari says nobody official took steps to understand our cultural needs they also did not
02:22:36 cultural needs they also did not understand that not all Afghans speak fary so when they bought interpreters who spoke FY to communicate with my mother they couldn't understand her because she spoke th
02:22:55 a number of walk Weare residents also experienced issues with the language
02:23:01 barrier excuse me LNA belasi who lived in testan war with her young daughter a newborn baby says my first language is Arabic
02:23:12 says my first language is Arabic although I speak a little English initially I found it very difficult to get information and help I would often rely on my friends or neighbor to either update or interpret for me sometimes I
02:23:23 update or interpret for me sometimes I was not always comfortable with this especially if I was discussing private and confidential information about my personal circumstances the language barrier also meant I found out about
02:23:35 barrier also meant I found out about support and services much later than everyone else which was frustrating it also meant I did not have the same access and support as others because I simply did not know what was
02:23:47 simply did not know what was available it often felt that I did not have a voice and I was not being listened
02:23:54 listened to Zacharia alawi lived in bar bar barandon walk with his wife their first language is Arabic he says official Communications would always be in English we had to ask constantly for our
02:24:07 English we had to ask constantly for our daughters to translate the letters into Arabic for us she along with many other residents constantly complained to Gold command and rbkc about the availability of material in different languages as
02:24:19 of material in different languages as this affected the resident's access to Vital
02:24:22 Vital Information eventually this began happening but it took at least 3 months for rbkc to reach this stage nardia albouy says no Arrangements
02:24:34 stage nardia albouy says no Arrangements were made by the council or government in the immediate aftermath of the fire to accommodate people with special needs there were also a lot of people like me who spoke very little or no English and
02:24:45 who spoke very little or no English and had to rely on the assistance of volunteers who spoke our languages just to communicate our basic needs to the council and other organizations I'm not sure what I would
02:24:56 organizations I'm not sure what I would have done if the volunteers were not there to help especially as my daughter in her shock stopped speaking for days after the
02:25:05 after the fire Witnesses share their experiences of how information was shared and how Support Services were commissioned were communicated rather to them while staying in hotels shanir maget says we
02:25:17 staying in hotels shanir maget says we were not told about a plan for survivors and were just left in a hotel room Corin Simone Jones says there was nobody in the hotel that was responsible for looking after us there was no agreed
02:25:30 for looking after us there was no agreed point of contact at the hotel we went to the manager as we assumed this would be the point of contact he did he did not know what was going on it felt like we had nothing that the council provided us
02:25:41 had nothing that the council provided us with a hotel room and expected us just to get on with
02:25:48 it Michael check says representatives from rbkc were sometimes in the hotel in the beginning as I remember but this was a a bit hid and miss and they didn't
02:26:01 a a bit hid and miss and they didn't always have the information that you really needed so frequently couldn't answer our questions after a time we stopped engaging with them because of this and because of the issues that we had experienced with the hotel
02:26:13 experienced with the hotel room winam tan lived in flat 26 of the Tower with his partner he says initially we did not receive anything but later we would get a
02:26:25 anything but later we would get a leaflet posted through our hotel door giving an update weekly however as there were only three or four families in our hotel from the tower I think we were forgotten and we did not receive
02:26:36 forgotten and we did not receive anything for some time guara pavani says we moved to the Crown Plaza on Cromwell Road it was quieter there it was very quiet in terms of the support that was available at the
02:26:48 of the support that was available at the hotel no one came to theot hotel to let us know what was going on and I found I knew less and less what was going on I felt like I fell off everyone's radar I was lonely and found myself a bit out of
02:27:01 was lonely and found myself a bit out of the loop as a
02:27:11 result Thiago Alves lived in flap 105 with his family he says my dad and I went to the meeting at the rugby portello we discussed what
02:27:22 the rugby portello we discussed what steps we should take to ensure that survivors were being properly supported given the failings of provision and communication that we had already experienced we started talking about how little was being done for people it was
02:27:34 little was being done for people it was all so muddled up and everyone was so confusing there were rumors and confusion and uncertainty when what we needed was Clarity there was already a large paper list of former Tower
02:27:45 large paper list of former Tower residents and bereaved people at the rugby portello someone suggested that we should build on this list this was the beginning of the formation of the grenell United WhatsApp group
02:27:56 of the grenell United WhatsApp group Antonio Ron Colo says there was no leadership or coordination from either rbkc or central government which led to the bereaved and residents establishing grenfell United gu gu was about
02:28:09 grenfell United gu gu was about supporting one another and ensuring that we all had the same information and were kept up to date I found the GU newsletters really helpful it was also about us having a United voice and
02:28:20 about us having a United voice and ensuring that we were listened to Sharon Lackey says grifell United gave us a voice and was an important source of information especially through their newsletters which kept us updated about
02:28:33 newsletters which kept us updated about what support was available I felt grenfell United really worked hard to support us all Ahmed Al guari lost his mother Mariam Al guari and his sister Esa alari who lived in flat 196 of the
02:28:47 Esa alari who lived in flat 196 of the tower he says I wanted answers in quiet and for the bereaved to be spoken to there seemed to be there seemed no clear way for this to happen and so after discussions with other affected bereaved
02:28:59 discussions with other affected bereaved families I started a WhatsApp group of bereaved people the aim was for the bereaved to speak to one another and share information the group continues to this day and provides a chance for us to
02:29:11 this day and provides a chance for us to share information and experiences walkway residents did not receive information about whether they could return to their homes Agnes Murray says I found it hard to access
02:29:23 says I found it hard to access information about services and support I feel it would have been easier to access information if we had been in a hotel for people that were back in the walkways there was not much information
02:29:34 walkways there was not much information I went to various centers that I'd opened to try and find out information I had to go looking for it myself Helen Harley says after the first
02:29:45 myself Helen Harley says after the first 24 hours and within the next weeks there was still nothing from the council there was no information on their website I did expect to find information about whether my building was reopened it was
02:29:56 whether my building was reopened it was a question of walking around and seeing if I could get in one door or another Effie Serio pulo a resident of hway walk says I tried to ring rbkc for
02:30:09 hway walk says I tried to ring rbkc for an update as to whether it was safe to return home and to establish the situation with evacuation I got through to someone who was obviously just Manning the phone I was told that they were not able to give
02:30:21 was told that they were not able to give me any of this information because the council were due to do a press release I could not believe the council seemed more concerned with the press release than actually helping and guiding those that had been
02:30:33 that had been impacted Maria Gil says the council would not come to tell us about the services and support available they would not communicate with us at all they left us on our own to find
02:30:44 they left us on our own to find information if you did not get there on time then that was it they would say they ran out of fund I felt that it was like a little Rat Race So that concludes section six right
02:30:57 Race So that concludes section six right would that be a good point at which to call the Hal for the day it would thank you and we'll find a suitable moment to complete this exercise where we can yes sir all right thank you thank you very
02:31:09 sir all right thank you thank you very much indeed all right well I think it's time we call the Hulk for today we'll break there we'll resume please at 10:00 tomorrow when we shall hear further
02:31:20 tomorrow when we shall hear further evidence from Mr share Mr yes those who are directly affected by the fire yes yes good thank you very much