July, 2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Beryl Spares San Pedro

Up to very early this morning, Mayor Wally Nunez and the San Pedro Town Council were out assisting residents to reach the Sage Brush Hurricane Shelter in time, just in case Hurricane Beryl jogged south and tore through Belize. The category three hurricane was packing winds of over a hundred and thirty miles per hour, as it neared the northern coast. It eventually tracked northwards as meteorologists forecasted. Today, News Five’s Marion Ali was on the ground in San Pedro today. Here’s that report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

When we arrived in San Pedro at a few minutes to nine this morning, most of the homes and smaller businesses were still secured with sheets of plywood. Larger businesses were shuttered. La Isla Bonita is an island teeming with traffic, but there was hardly any of that before midday. The town hall was still battened down, but atop its roof, the green flag flew, signalling that the “all-clear” had been declared. In the centre of town, a businessman removed the sandbags he had used to secure his property. A few miles north in San Mateo, residents were returning home after seeking shelter elsewhere.

Tyrone Young and Lilian Rivero had to secure their pets inside their homes since the shelters did not allow animals. They were happy to return to them today.

Lilian Rivero, Resident, San Mateo Area, San Pedro

“We prepared everything from two days before; thank God nothing happened. We didn’t stay here because as you can see, it’s low and we are at the side of the lagoon, so we had to move out. We went to stay in a hotel overnight and we are just coming in, fixing everything, taking off plywood, fixing everything again in its place. As soon as we get a little bit of rain, we get all here flood up.”

Marion Ali

“So a hurricane would definitely had left you flooded.”

Lilian Rivero

“Yes, that’s why we were on alert.”

Marion Ali

“And you have several pets. Where did you put them?”

Lilian Rivero

“They stayed inside of the house. Just now we released them out. There’s a little cat over there also. They were fine in there. Thank God nothing happened. But if it was going to be flooded, they were safe inside.”

Tyrone Young, Resident, San Mateo Area, San Pedro

“At first it was, you know, [I was] on the brink of tripping because, well, we don’t know if it’s going to really get to be more than a category one, category two, what stage it is, because you’ve got to be up here for unexpected, right? The tide was already raising at the bridge. It was already coming like drastic so I was like you said, panicking a bit, but at the same time be on a safe side, send a couple prayers, and you’ll be alright. I got to get back to get back to reality, right? Taking back the stuff down, hoping for the stores to open up.”

John Velasquez also decided to secure his home and then seek higher ground. He believes his house would have suffered damage, had Beryl made landfall in northern Belize.

John Velasquez, Resident, San Mateo Area, San Pedro

“It comes from the north and it’s very – it’s not so really strong, you know, but it could cause a little bit of damage. But thank God, nothing happened, you know. I went for to a shelter and I just come back right now.”

Along with their respective families, Rivero and Velasquez sought shelter at hotels on the island.

Over at Sagebrush Church, one of two official hurricane shelters, sixty persons sought refuge for the night. After the final NEMO meeting, the Belize Rural South Emergency Coordinator was grateful that residents heeded the warning.

Vanessa Parham, District Emergency Coordinator for Belize Rural South

“This storm could have – we could have been like Barbados, we could have been like the Windward Islands and, you know, and we’re grateful to see that our residents actually heeded our caution. And for that, I am very grateful.”

Marion Ali

“Looking back at it, was there something that you would like to have seen, maybe work out a little smoother or next time, is there anything that if you are ever put through this again, that you’d like to work out a little better?”

Vanessa Parham

“That is a great question. There is always room for improvement. As you know, San Pedro has around 20,000 people living here. We have Caye Caulker and we have to take into consideration that people also have their livelihoods, when I mean they’re working. They have families, they have children in school. And so to see how we can best adopt a more earlier preparation phase when it comes to evacuations.”

Mayor Wally Nunez spent the better part of Thursday night working to ensure that all their plans were put into effect, and by ten a.m., the council and its staff were already back at work.

Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro

“Our town council staff actually showed up to work today at 10. The main purpose was to get prepared for next week, to get our computers and everything back in order. However, we did notice that we had good staff showing up and we opened the town council. So it is open at the moment. We have like a skeleton staff because we don’t have everybody on board and we understand that.”

Area Representative Andre Perez is also the Minister of Disaster Risk Management. He is satisfied with what can now be regarded as a successful test run.

Andre Perez, Minister, Disaster Risk Management

“We had almost 5,000 people that moved out of the islands, both islands of Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye, so, that says a lot about a community that did heed to the storm and that we were telling them to be watchful of this, that we had to – we had a threat in front of us. So, while we have people saying, you know, nothing happened. We are guided by what the med service tells us and indeed, it’s a storm that is very threatening and did damage to different countries, we got spared. So the next time it comes around, we still do the same thing.”

While officials closely monitor weather forecasts over the next five months of this hurricane season, Lilian Rivero joked that this scare was enough for the rest of the year.

Lilian Rivero

“I nuh even remember if it’s Friday. I don’t know if it’s Friday or what. Hopefully, no more come around.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

Belize City Resumes Business After Receiving All-clear

This morning, the National Emergency Management Organization declared an All-clear for Belize, confirming that the country is no longer under a hurricane watch. For the past few days, Hurricane Beryl was closely monitored as it tore through the Caribbean and sped towards the Yucatan Peninsula. Ahead of the storm, many Belizeans evacuated flood prone areas or prepared their households to weather the impacts of storm. Today, New’s Fives Britney Gordon took to the streets of Belize City to hear how the public feels now that the threat has passed. Here’s that story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize is officially in the clear. The category two hurricane bypassed Belize, as was predicted by the National Meteorological Service, and made its way into Mexico on Thursday evening. As a precaution, many Belizeans put into effect their hurricane plans. On Thursday, several businesses suspended operations to give employees time to adequately prepare, should the storm reroute to Belize. We spoke with Owen Morrison, an employee of Shell gas station, to hear how the station chose to handle the situation.

Owen Morrison, Shell Employee

“What our management did is just to make sure that We are here on time. We are prepared and ready for the customers that when they come, we give them that full service. And that for us, ourselves, they make sure that they close a little early so that we can go home and take care of our family as well.”

As of this morning, most businesses were back in operation. Water taxi services, including San Pedro Belize Express and Caribbean Sprinter, remained closed as they prepared the boats for use. Morrison says that, given the all-clear, the station is ready for customers. Although, he notes that business has been slow.

Britney Gordon

“What time did you close yesterday and what time did you open up today?”

Owen Morrison

“We closed yesterday, four o’clock in the afternoon and then we opened six o’clock this morning.”

Britney Gordon

“So now it’s resumed business as usual?”

Owen Morrison

“Yeah, business as usual, but then it’s very slow today, as you can see.” 0:55

Downtown Belize City was a similar scene, with businesses reopening, but very few people filling the streets. Alejandra Ukan, a resident of Belize District, felt it safer to stay at home until the all-clear was given.

Alejandra Ukan, Belize District Resident

“ Well, I prepare just because I afraid for the flood. But otherwise, I stay right in my house. I got my cement house, right?”

Britney Gordon

“And you feel that this was the right move to make, being that we didn’t get any sorts of rain or flooding in Belize City?”

Alejandra Ukan

“Only yesterday we get wah hard rain. It frightened people.”

To the relief of many, Hurricane Beryl passed with minimal impact on Belize. However, the storm rerouting to another country or gaining strength as it neared, remained a possibility until officials declared otherwise. Stanley Lizama, a resident of Belize City, has no regrets about preparing for the storm.

Stanley Lizama, Belize District Resident

“My preparation was not hard because I am somebody old in the army. So I know exactly what to do. I go close up some of my windows, buy up some groceries, and that was it.”

Britney Gordon

“And do you think this was the right choice to make, given the outcome?”

Stanley Lizama

“I think it’s the right choice and what I find out with this storm, Belize people do everything that they supposed to do. Cause the last hurricane, give us a wake up call.”

Britney Gordon

“So you think this was a better safe than sorry type situation?”

Stanley Lizama

“Definite. Definite.”

With one hurricane avoided, the season is not yet over. Morrison says that he continues to proceed with caution until the season comes to an end.

Owen Morrison

“We always have to be prepared, because we have to expect the unexpected. You could never tell how the weather would have shifted, when it would have shifted, because I heard a story from the older folks that when Hattie was about to hit Belize, it shift. They said it was going to Cuba, but then it end up shift and came to Belize. We always have to be prepared, you understand? It was something sensible to do.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

CARICOM Bands Together for Hurricane Relief Efforts

After days of preparation, Belize was spared from the impact of Hurricane Beryl as it bypassed the country on its path through the Yucatan Peninsula. The hurricane made landfall in Mexico, as a category two storm, however, it began as a category five, and was the first ever to be recorded in the month of June. On Monday, Beryl ripped through the southeast Caribbean, devastating islands such as Saint Vincent, Grenada, and Jamaica. In a message from the Secretary General, Doctor Carla Banett explained that CARICOM member states have come together and are providing urgent support to each other as they seek to recover. On Thursday, CARICOM celebrated the fifty-first anniversary of its formation. This year’s commemoration underlined the community’s desire for continued partnerships and willingness to assist in times of need. Doctor Barnett further stressed the importance of keeping to climate change commitments as the early formation and intensity of Beryl indicate the warming of the sea’s impacts on the region. Barnett concluded by reiterating the community’s objective, stating, “together, we will build on the gains of regional integration, address the challenges of recovery and sustainable economic growth and development, and shape an inclusive, resilient and thriving Community for all.”

Squatting is Still a Major Issue in San Pedro

Hurricane Beryl was a powerful storm that would have likely destroyed the most vulnerable homes in San Pedro. Most of these structures are built in low-lying swamps by squatters. And today, Mayor Wally Nunez told News Five that Hurricane Beryl has brought into sharp focus a perennial issue on the island. He reiterated that not only is building shacks in the mangroves a hazard, but it is illegal.

Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro

“That is something that we will have to look closely with the government to see how we can assist these people and probably relocate them in another area. But that is an ongoing process that we can’t just do overnight. We know that there’s a couple of them that have been going up in the mangrove areas that our building unit has been addressing. We actually had to put a stop to some of them and advising these people that they are squatting on places that are not their property, that they do not own, and we cannot allow it because we cannot allow for them to go and build on a mangrove. It is illegal.”

100 Acres of Housing Lots for San Pedranos

But there’s a plan to deal with those persons who live in San Pedro who don’t have a piece of land but need housing. Area Representative Andre Perez told News Five that there’s a housing project that he is overseeing that will materialize within the next few months. Perez says that the new subdivision is more than a hundred acres of land.

Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South

“In the past administration, lands were given out in a place that is just jungle. And people still cannot move there yet because there are no roads over there. So again, to do this, we want to give land to people whenever we find it and we’re getting it and we’ll get, however, we have to do it properly and we can’t come and say, well, you know, you have to pay me some money fi mek I survey it – we can’t do it. I’m working on a plan right now as the area rep. It’s going to be up north and I can tell you that I’m aggressively pushing for it. Very soon I’ll be getting a parcel to subdivide, but when I’m doing it, I am subdividing it, I am surveying it and it’s gonna come to the cost because you know, getting land here, of course, you have to pay the government for a piece of property. But what I’m doing is to, right now, finding resources to survey and subdivide. And when that comes, I will work also on putting in the roads. So that when a person comes, I can quantify and say, listen, this is what the cost was for survey, for the roads, this is what I end up paying. So there’s a fee to divide among all those lands there for the person who is interested in that piece of land to pay that fee as well plus what they have to pay to government for the property. So it’s also not only just giving a piece of land. We have to make sure whenever they get the land they can move in and start building their homes that they would want to build.”

Call Agent Pleads Guilty to Posting Nudes of Ex-girlfriend

Tonight, a twenty-six-year-old call center agent is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after pleading guilty to intentionally transmitting an image of woman’s private parts without her consent. He is Brian Perriott Junior, a resident of Belize City. Perriott is accused of sending images of a twenty-year-old woman’s breasts and genitals to another individual. When he appeared before a magistrate in the lower court earlier today Perriott owned to having committed the offence. The woman, also a call center agent, reported to police that she ended a relationship with Perriott on June sixth via a Microsoft Teams App. Four days later, she received a Facebook message from another account whose profile picture was that of Brian Perriott. She opened the message and played a video that the individual had sent to her. It showed her lying in bed naked, it also showed Perriott’s hand in the video. Despite blocking her ex-boyfriend on social media, he reportedly created another profile and posted the nude images. When she inquired how he got access to her other accounts, Perriott allegedly threatened to shoot up her home with her family members inside. Perriott is now facing a sentence of up to five years in prison for the offense which falls under the Cyber Crimes Act. Perriott remains on remand until a sentence is handed down on July ninth.

Wil Maheia is Nominated as P.N.P.’s Toledo East Candidate

Amidst preparations for Hurricane Beryl, you may have missed that on Tuesday, the three candidates vying for the seat in Toledo East were officially nominated. They are Wil Maheia, of the People’s National Party, Doctor Osmond Martinez, of the People’s United Party, and Dennis Williams, of the United Democratic Party. On July seventeenth, one candidate will be selected as the Toledo East Area Representative. Today, we spoke with Wil Maheia to find out how he feels about placing his name on the ballot sheet as the day of the bye-election approaches.

Wil Maheia, P.N.P. Candidate, Toledo East

“That’s usually a great feeling to know that your name is on the ballot. You’re one of the persons that will more than likely be the representative for Toledo East. My people that came out and supported me, there are a wide range of people. And I believe that these people have faith in me, and that’s why they came out to support me, and it was so great to be out there, and for the first time, I believe in the history of nominations, that a so-called third party was the first party to get nominated, and again, that’s because of the leadership that I bring. These things also don’t happen, you have to speak up, and you have to try and get things done. I have been involved for a long time now. And I’m born and raised here in the Toledo district. So all my energies have been focused in the Toledo district, and I entered the race because I believe that I could contribute more than what I have already contributed to the Toledo district and especially to Toledo East. I decided to run as a member of the People’s National Party because I believe that Belizeans are just tired of the two-party system, and they want an alternative, and I believe that I’m a viable alternative. And you know, that’s one of the questions I’m asked the most. If you win, you’re only a one person party only candidate that would not be a P.U.P. or U.D.P. But I believe my record has shown that I can work across party lines. When the U.D.P. was in, I worked with them. When the P.U.P. is in, I have a really good relationship with them. I believe that the prime minister of this country is about forty people and will listen to whoever the people want. I believe that once elected, Me, I can work with this government to get things done and I’ve done that without being elected and I want to continue to do that.”

B.E.B.L. Appeals Committee Decides on Controversial Finals Game 3

The Belize Elite Basketball League’s 2024 finals between the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes and the Belize City Defenders remain in Limbo. Tonight, when a possible game five would have been played, there is no confirmed date for the series to resume. After the Hurricanes protested the results of the Defender’s game three win, the matter ended up in the hands of the league’s protest committee. The committee ruled in favor of the Hurricanes. The Defenders then decided to take the matter up to the league’s appeals committee. But the question on the mind of every B.E.B.L. fan is, when will the finals resume? Well, we spoke with B.E.B.L. Commissioner Glenn Gill who informed us that the appeals committee has decided that the controversial game three will be replayed.

Glenn Gill, B.E.B.L. Commissioner

“Actually yesterday there was a decision made from the Appeals Committee that the game would be played over. But unfortunately, the Volleyball Association will use the court for two weeks. So we wont have the use of the court until the twenty-sixth of July. So that is when we will play over game three.”

Paul Lopez

“So, the decision of the appeals committee is to have the game played over?”

Glenn Gill

“Yes, because they looked at all the literature, the game, the game clips, they decided it would be unfair to play the game from where there was a disruption. And, it would not be fair for both teams. So, they decided it is best to just play over the game.There are two committees in the league, a protest/disciplinary committee and a tribunal. In my opinion both have people who have legal mind and both have people who know basketball. Last year we had some up and downs with a decision. But this year before the tournament started decided that whatever the tribunal says is the last word is the last word. So whatever they decide we will go with it.”

How Twins Received the Gift of Life

This month, we’re bringing you stories of individuals who have undergone life-saving medical procedures. While life-and-death situations are common, one organization has made it their mission to save the lives of minors each year. Gift of Life Belize, an initiative of the Rotary Club of Belize, is dedicated to ensuring that children with congenital heart defects receive the gift of life. This entirely voluntary effort highlights the pressing need for accessible medical care and resources in Belize where congenital heart defects are concerned. Sabreena Daly tells us more in this week’s Look on the Bright Side.

Bianca Domingo, Mother

“I take two hours to clean my house and they can trash it in five minutes. And before the surgery, they were not, they were not that active. So even though I get tired cleaning up after them, I’m so happy that they’re very active now.”

Sabreena Daly, Reporting

These two active babies, Bianca Domingo refers to, are now fast asleep missing out on their television debut of how they experienced a medical procedure that saved both of their lives. Jossiah and Leah are one-year-old twins.

Bianca Domingo
“Leah’s the boss. She’s very bossy, but she’s such a loving baby. And Josiah, he’s just active and very playful. But both of them are sweet babies.”

Whether fraternal or identical, the bond shared as twins can only be understood if you are one. But this pair of fraternal twins, Jossiah and Leah, had a connection much deeper than their genetic ties. They were connected from the heart. Their mother would learn how serious this was when she discovered that her son was born with holes in his heart.

Bianca Domingo

“So I went to the appointment at the Lions Club and I took Josiah first. And the doctor asked me why I had Josiah at 33 weeks. I explained to him that there were twins and sometimes twins don’t go the full term.”

Yvette Burks, Chairperson, Gift of Life Belize Project
“He said, hold on, you have twins. And she said, yes. And he said, could you please go home and bring the baby girl? And she said, why? And he said, because it’s frequent that if you have a pair of twins and one has a congenital heart defect, the other one might too. So she actually went back for the baby girl, and brought the baby girl to the clinic. And we saw the baby girl.”

One in every one hundred children is born with a form of congenital defect and heart disease is the most prevalent of them. While there are numerous theories as to what causes the medical condition, unattended cases can quickly become fatal. Yvette Burks is the chairperson of Gift of Life Belize, an initiative of the Belize Rotary Club.

Yvette Burks

“In developed countries, many of those cases are rushed into surgery if it’s urgent, or they’re watched until they’re the size where the surgery is best, and surgery is done, no questions asked. In our country, the average child, if it’s something that needs surgical intervention, would live until they die, simply because they were born in the wrong geographical location. And we at the Rotary Club of Belize’s Gift of Life Belize believe that every child deserves a chance for a happy and healthy future. And that is our objective.”

Gift of Life Belize has provided cardiac diagnosis and support to children from birth to eighteen for over four decades. Since 1977, Gift of Life Belize has done surgeries for more than five hundred minors. This year alone, the project has provided over four million dollars worth of care to the pediatric population affected by congenital heart defects.

Yvette Burks

“There are very few conditions that we cannot help. It’s beyond help. And those are so sad, but there are so many conditions that we can help and the specialists that we bring in are able to tell us exactly what’s wrong with the child and whether or not surgery or some kind of procedure will be able to correct the problem and help us to prioritize that list. We’re able to partner through our network and it’s quite extensive at this stage to get the children the care that they need surgically either here in Belize now at the cat lab, because we also bring in our cardiologists to do corrective procedures here at the cat lab.”

This year, Bianca Domingo was one of those parents who got aid for her two babies, Jossiah in Belize and Leia in Texas.

Bianca Domingo

“Two of Josiah’s holes closed a couple months after, but the P.D.A. was still open. Her PDA was still open as well. I believe a few months after that, a doctor came in from the United States and they did a procedure at the KHMH in the cat lab on both of them. However, it worked on Josiah, but it did not work on Leah.”

Yvette Burks

“He was able to get his closed here. This was in February. And they went in to do layers, and they did the procedure as far as they could, but when they did her measurements, it turned out that she had, for lack of a better term, kind of a strange entrance to where they needed to place the little device that would have closed that hole. That made it a dangerous procedure to attempt here in Belize.”

Bianca Domingo

“Basically they assist me with almost everything. where to stay, with a host family, and the surgery and the hospital. They are actually connected to another group in Texas that is called Heart Gift. So they work together in aiding families that need assistance with these kinds of situations.”

Rotary’s Gift of Life program is essential for patients in need. While Belize is slowly expanding its medical resources, severe heart defects often require multiple surgeries, lifelong medications, and preventative measures to maintain heart function and overall health. For some, a heart transplant is their only hope.

Yvette Burks
“The big message really is that there is one in every one hundred live births with a heart problem. It could be your child, it could be your grandchild, it could be your niece or nephew. There will be a baby born in every hundred live births, whether you live in Belize or Japan or the U. S. or Korea, it doesn’t matter where you live. So we have worked very hard to foster these relationships, which can afford our children to have their gift of life saving surgery so that they can come back to Belize and live happy, healthy and productive lives.”

Domingo recognizes that had she not accessed this service, her twins may have been living a very different lives and her family may have been two members short.

Bianca Domingo

“I don’t believe they would have made it to two years old. So it’s really hard. They really save their lives, you know.”

The twins’ progress will be monitored over the next five years and they are expected to go on to live normal lives. Looking on the Bright Side, Im Sabreena Daly.

To support or learn more on the works being done through the gift of life, visit gift of life belize dot org.

Belize Carnival Association Gets $20,000

Today, the National Celebrations Commission (NCC), demonstrated its commitment to the upcoming 2024 Carnival Road March by presenting a donation of twenty thousand Belize dollars to the Belize Carnival Association. This financial support aims to bolster preparations for mas camps and the vibrant celebrations scheduled for September 7.

This year’s official theme for the 43rd Anniversary of Belize’s Independence is ‘A Nation Proud and Free: Belize@43.’ The NCC announced in June that this year’s new carnival route will start near Memorial Park, via Marie Parade, Barrack Road, Princess Margaret Drive and ending at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex with the judging area designated on the entire length of Digi Park.

According to the NCC, “After experiencing logistical challenges over recent years, the Commission explored several alternative routes to find the best option to eliminate these challenges.” The commissioner said that two test runs were conducted with the “police and the association recommended this route as it addressed the standing logistical concerns and offered an excellent opportunity for an enhanced carnival experience.”