RELATIVES of Geraldo Greene, the pensioner who was buried alive when a landslide crashed into his house last week, have received the keys to their new home at Edinburgh 500 in Chaguanas.

Greene, 76, of La Canoa Road, Santa Cruz, was killed last Friday when torrential rains brought down the landslide into his house under which he was pinned.

Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma promised the family a house when he visited them last Friday following Greene's death.

Greene is expected to be buried on Friday at the San Juan Public Cemetery after a funeral service at Jehovah Witness Kingdom Hall at Cantaro Village, Santa Cruz. The State has agreed to pay for his funeral.

Housing Development Corporation (HDC) managing director Jearlean John yesterday handed over the keys to the three-bedroom apartment to Greene's wife, Sylvia, and one of her sons, Vaughrick Britto.

The HDC has agreed to furnish the apartment.

Britto said he was satisfied with John's intervention but he was yet to be given details about further arrangements regarding the new apartment.

He said, "We just came from seeing Ms Jearlean John and she gave us the keys to our new apartment, and she extended her condolences, and at least she kept her word and we will be looking to see what happens from today.

"We get the apartment until further notice. Things are being put in place where the house is concerned. If I say it's fully ours, I'd be lying and if I say it's not ours, I will also be lying. I'd just have to wait and see what happens.

"They are taking care of that situation and Ms Jearlean John gave us her word and said that we would be taken care of," Britto said.

He said relatives intend to move into the house after the funeral.

In a brief telephone interview yesterday, John said after the three-month grace period expires, the relatives were free to decide on whether they wish to further occupy the apartment and be part of HDC's rent-to-own programme.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised by another of Mrs Greene's sons, Rudolph Vincent Britto, that officials at the San Juan Regional Corporation stopped clean-up works in the area yesterday, which pose an additional threat to the community.

He said, "The mountain keeps caving in slowly every time the rain falls. What I would like the government to do is to get a backhoe or tractor and come from behind and start to clear the bank and bench the place. This will ease up the situation.

"If nothing is done quickly, it could come down and throw down this house and that house and a lot of people's homes because a lot of the houses up there are in some problems right now, just like my stepfather," he said.

He said the rain comes like a thief in the night and anything catastrophic could happen.

"We don't know what could happen and I'd like the Government to take this thing very seriously and come and see about this problem quick because it does have a lot of children playing in the area," Rudolph said.

Malvern Mentore and Debbie Ferreira of the Seventh Day Adventist Development and Relief Agency also visited the family and presented them with clothing and food items and $1,000.

Mentore said after the agency heard about the tragic incident, the organisation decided to send a team to see what assistance could be afforded to remaining family members.

He said, "We have some individuals in the Central area doing some stuff with the shelter management and we also have people on Point (Fortin).

"The entire situation is overwhelming but there is a challenge for resources, finances and stuff like that. But we think with collaboration with all the agencies that are involved, the NGOs, that we will be able to do a reasonably good job," Mentore said.