The awful legacy of Grenfell Tower is taking its toll on those who survived the fire.
Support workers claim that residents who survived the fire have been so traumatised by the harrowing events that many are abusing alcohol and drugs, and “at least 20” have tried to commit suicide.
Judy Bolton, from Justice4Grenfell, said volunteers working with survivors had told her of 20 suicide attempts since the fire, according to The Metro.
Judy, who is a nurse, said support services must reach out to the Grenfell victims, rather than waiting for them to present themselves.
She says the emotional trauma of the event has affected the victims in many ways, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, loss of loved ones, depression, and survivor guilt.
She believes that this is why there have been so many suicide attempts among survivors and witnesses in such a short space of time.
Judy explained: “People saw their neighbours falling from a burning building. They saw children being dropped from the building.
“There are still ashes blowing over us when the train goes past. We’re being covered in the ash of our dead friends and relatives.
“They need trauma and bereavement counselling urgently.”
80 people died in the tragedy, and many others were left with horrific injuries when the 24-storey building - which housed 120 apartments - caught fire.
Energy-efficient cladding panels on the outside of the building are believed to be responsible for the rapid spread of the fire.
Grenfell Tower: 'Twenty suicide attempts' since fire https://t.co/D31B4criGp
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) September 5, 2017
Confusion about when to evacuate the building also caused some residents to remain inside the burning building. Residents claim there were safety notices in the tower instructing occupants to stay inside the building in the event of a fire.
Residents have said they raised concerns about fire safety in the past, but their concerns were ignored.
On a resident's blog, concerned families wrote that they believed the building posed a fire risk and that "only a catastrophic event will expose" the issues.
After the fire, the group posted on their website that they "predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just a matter of time". They described their previous concerns as falling on "deaf ears".
We hope that the survivors will be offered adequate support soon.
If you are experiencing suicidal feelings, you can seek support from The Samaritans on 116 123.
