2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Youth Dies in Motorcycle Accident

A tragic road accident in the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan on Thursday afternoon claimed the life of Carlos Romero. The incident occurred around 3:00 PM at the intersection of St. Jude and St. Peter’s Street, involving a 1998 Ford 10-wheeler truck and a motorcycle.

Witnesses report that the truck driver stopped after hearing a loud bang and discovered a red motorcycle and a man trapped under the rear right wheel. With assistance from an off-duty officer, the driver freed Carlos Romero, who was rushed to the hospital but tragically died from his injuries later that evening.

Romero, a former player for Medina’s FC, was fondly remembered by the club. In a heartfelt statement, the team expressed their condolences: “We are glad we got to know a bit of you, Carlos. Our deepest condolences to family and friends. May his soul rest in peace.”

Tropical Storm Sara Approaches Belize: Warnings Issued

As of 9:00 AM today, Tropical Storm Sara continues its slow approach toward Belize, prompting a tropical storm warning from Belize City southward to the Guatemala border, including offshore cayes. The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has declared Phase 3 – Red Two of the National Hurricane Plan, signalling that landfall is expected within 36 hours.

Sara was located approximately 175 miles east-southeast of Belize City, moving west at 7 mph with sustained winds of 50 mph. Forecasts predict Sara could strengthen, reaching 60 to 70 mph winds at landfall, expected early Sunday near southern Belize.

Heavy rainfall remains the primary concern. Totals of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated higher amounts, are forecast through Sunday, exacerbating flooding in several areas, particularly in the Central and Northern Regions. Flood warnings are in effect for the Rio Hondo, Macal, Mopan, and Belize Rivers. Flooded roads, including the San Roman and San Antonio Roads in the Orange Walk District, have been reported.

Winds of 60 to 70 mph may cause damage to structures, trees, and crops. A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is possible near areas of onshore flow. Rough seas and strong gusts have prompted a small craft warning; mariners are advised to remain in safe harbour.

Residents in the warning area are urged to implement emergency plans, stock up on essential supplies, and remain vigilant. Shelters will be opened if necessary. Motorists should drive cautiously due to slippery roads, and businesses are advised to finalise continuity plans.

The tourism, agriculture, and fisheries sectors are also advised to monitor the situation and prepare emergency measures. Public events should be postponed until the all-clear is given.

The public is encouraged to follow official updates from NEMO and the National Meteorological Service. NEMO’s hotline is 936 for further assistance. Stay informed and prepared as Belize braces for Tropical Storm Sara.

15 Foreign Nationals Denied Entry into Belize, Jamaican Breaks Leg Trying to Escape

The Department of Border Management and Immigration Services has refused entry to 15 individuals, who are now under guard at the Global Village Hotel pending repatriation. The group comprises 11 Jamaican nationals, including six adults and five minors, who arrived between November 4 and 11, 2024, and four Brazilian nationals who arrived on November 11 via a COPA Airlines flight from Panama. Officials deemed the individuals inadmissible for reasons such as lacking return tickets to their countries of origin, travelling with minors without proper legal documentation, and providing invalid accommodation details. Eight Jamaican nationals listed #111 North Front Street as their place of stay, which upon investigation was found to house businesses and a water taxi service but no known hotel.

Additionally, some hotel bookings were found to have been made with fraudulent credit cards.

Three Jamaican nationals have filed for judicial review regarding their inadmissibility.

The government has expressed concern over the increasing use of Belize as a transit point for smuggling individuals, particularly minors, to the United States and Canada. Authorities have stressed that such activities will not be tolerated. The Acting Port Commander has also reported the situation involving the children in custody to the Department of Human Services.

One of the Jamaicans who was denied entry is 37-year-old Devon Dean, who broke his leg after jumping through the hotel window in an attempt to evade immigration officers. Dean and two other Jamaicans have since retained attorney Norman Rodriguez, who filed for judicial review to challenge their deportation.

Rodriguez argues his clients met all entry requirements, including return tickets and hotel reservations, but were still refused entry. He alleges discrimination against Jamaican nationals and claims immigration officers failed to provide formal notice of detention, contrary to the Immigration Act.

Tropical Storm Watch Issued for Belize City to Placencia

A Tropical Storm Watch is now in effect from Belize City southward to Placencia as Tropical Storm Sara moves closer to the country.

At 6:00 a.m. local time, Sara was located near latitude 16.1N, longitude 85.5W, about 205 miles east-southeast of Belize City. The storm is moving west at 9 mph, with sustained winds of 50 mph. Sara is expected to slow down and shift slightly to a west-northwest track by late Saturday.

The storm’s center is forecast to pass near the northern coast of Honduras today and approach Belize’s coast by Sunday. Some strengthening is possible before landfall, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph anticipated.

While the Tropical Storm Watch applies to areas from Belize City to Placencia, residents across the country are advised to monitor the storm closely.
– Rainfall: Forecasts predict 5 to 10 inches, with locally higher totals, posing a significant risk of flooding.
– Winds: Gusts of 50 to 60 mph could cause damage to trees, crops, and weak structures.
– Coastal Flooding: Minor flooding is expected in areas north of the storm’s center.
– Marine Conditions: A small craft warning remains in effect due to rough seas and strong winds near thunderstorms.

Flood warnings are active for the Central and Northern regions, including the Rio Hondo, Macal, Mopan, and Belize Rivers. Several roads, including San Roman and San Antonio in the Orange Walk District, remain submerged.

The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has issued the following advisories:
– Residents in flood-prone areas should clear drains and prepare to evacuate if necessary.
– Ensure emergency kits are stocked with food, water, and medications.
– Motorists should drive cautiously due to slippery road conditions.
– Tourism, agriculture, and fisheries sectors are urged to activate emergency plans.

Shelters will be opened in affected areas if required, and NEMO’s hotline (936) is available for assistance.

NEMO and the Belize Met Service continue to monitor Tropical Storm Sara, with updates expected throughout the day. Residents are reminded that hurricane season remains active, and preparedness is key to ensuring safety.

TS Sara on Projected Path Towards Belize

TS Sara on Projected Path Towards Belize

This afternoon, Tropical Storm Sara formed off the coast of Honduras and Nicaragua. According to the National Emergency Management Organization’s three p.m. advisory, Sara was located three hundred and thirty miles east-southeast of Belize City, moving west at ten miles per hour. The storm is expected to continue its westward path at a slower pace over the next two days. Earlier today, during a NEMO press conference, Sara was projected to make landfall north of Belize, which was the center of the cone of probability at that time. However, this afternoon’s update shows the center of the cone has shifted further south, closer to Placencia. This change highlights the inherent uncertainty in these projections. Here’s what Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon had to say this morning.

Via Zoom: Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist

“This is the global forecast system, better known as the American model. Initialized at midnight local time, and let us move forward int time. You can see the low pressure center around here as we have indicated near the north east coast of Honduras and Nicaragua. If we forward in time and go six a.m. tomorrow, you see the low here, north of Honduras. Let us move forward another twenty-four hours, you have the low remaining there but becoming much more disorganized. This is because of land interaction. Because the system is moving so close to Honduras this model is suggesting that is going to weaken. These lines are called isobars or lines of equal pressure. The closer you see these together the stronger the system. What you have noticed in the last twenty-four hours, these lines have moved further apart indicating that the system is weakening because of land interaction. Interestingly I want you to focus on Belize, you can see that even though it is a weaker system, there are bands of thunderstorms affecting the country. These colors of deep blue towards purple are indicating heavy rainfall activity in southern Belize. Let me advance to twenty-four hours. This will be Sunday morning, centered roughly here off the coast of Belize, rainfall again impacting the country. I move forward again and you can see the low impacting the land and moving across the land. The rains decreasing thereafter. This is one interpretation. One model’s idea of what could happen. Models are not gospel truth. They have inaccuracies. They have assumptions. So it is important we use these with caution.”

Category One Hurricane is an “Extreme Worst-Case Scenario”

Once again, the projected path has shifted further south. NEMO now predicts that Sara will strengthen, with maximum sustained winds of around 50 miles per hour when it makes landfall in Belize. The worst-case scenario, according to Gordon, is that Sara could become a category one hurricane. He shared this information with reporters this morning but emphasized that there’s still a lot of uncertainty with these projections.

Ronald Gordon, Chief Met Officer

“There is no exact tract. There is a cone. So, the system can pass anywhere within that cone. As I had indicated, it is a probability distribution. So, the highest probability is within the center of that cone. But that is not a hundred percent. If it was a hundred percent, we would not have a cone. It will have a line showing it is going there. So, it can change. That is the long and short of the answer. However, it is most likely to impact the country at the center of that cone. In terms of intensity, again that is not as certain. Not of the factors that could prevent further strengthening is interaction with land. As I showed the system is forecasted to move close to land, to Honduras and if it jogs even a bit further south it will weaken even further. However, if it remains offshore, it will be a bit stronger. There are still some variants within that intensity forecast. Currently the forecast is for it to come assure as a fifty-mile-per-hour storm and that is down from yesterday when they had it at seventy. That means more of the models are showing it weakening over land in Honduras. The extreme worst case scenario outside of the forecast right now is perhaps a category one hurricane. We are not seeing that, but that is the extreme worst.”

TS Sara to Dump Heavy Rains Over Belize

One thing is for sure—Belize is in for some heavy rainfall. Projections for Tropical Storm Sara suggest that the country could see up to ten inches of rain over the next three days. Chief Hydrologist Tenielle Hendy has issued flood warnings for four rivers across the country. Areas already dealing with floods, like San Roman and San Antonio, are likely to face even greater flood threats. Hendy shared more details with us.

Tenielle Hendy, Chief Hydrologist

“We do have a flood warning still in effect for the Mopan, Macal, Rio Hon and Belize Rivers. Some of the roads in the north are still impassable. In region seven, even though it is at flood stage levels, it is decreasing at the moment. In region nine we have the Mopan and Belize rivers still at flood stage and the three dam facilities, the spillways are still active. A departure from the forecast yesterday is that we are now seeing the Sibun River exhibiting or reflecting increasing above normal levels. Looking ahead into the outlook, for our stream flow. We are noticing this stream as per this flood forecast. It is just showing above level conditions. But this will change with the introduction of the rainfall. Moving into what is expected based on the current time step of TD. With the estimated accumulation of ten inches of rainfall over a five-day period, what we can expect that we will be seeing is flooding in those areas that will be affected, the areas that are already flooded. If you receive additional rainfall, we can see the extent widening in these areas and when it cannot spread out anymore, the extent it will go deeper.”

Will TS Sara’s Projected Path Lead to Business Closures?

So, will NEMO open hurricane shelters this weekend? And what about businesses—will they close while the storm passes? During Tropical Storm Nadine a few weeks ago, many employers still required their employees to come in, and several street vendors stayed open. Today, National Emergency Coordinator Daniel Mendez explained that shelters are prepped and ready to open, but only Prime Minister Briceño has the authority to call off work.

Via Zoom: Daniel Mendez, National Emergency Coordinator, N.E.M.O

“Again, the shelters will be opened as necessary. This is one of the actions that each district committee makes on their own. The EOCs are meeting. They understand the different peculiarities of their own districts. So, when there is a need to open the shelters, these will be opened and made known to the public. In terms of determining the closure of businesses, these are major conversations that need to be had. While I can say I do not have the final say, it does not mean I am not providing advice to the chairman of N.E.M.O who is the prime minister. These are major determinations that need to be made. There is always a need to try to find a balance between public safety and the need to keep things going. We did see that happen in Tropical Storm Nadine. We did our best to make those known that the decision was this was a very quick storm, and it was very challenging to provide that advice.”

Feinstein Discontinues $178 Million Lawsuit Against G.O.B. & Portico

In August 2023, developer Mike Feinstein and Stake Bank filed a claim against the Attorney General and Portico Enterprises Limited, the company behind Port of Magical Belize, seeking nearly one hundred and eighty million dollars in special damages for multiple breaches of their definitive agreement. Back in August 2017, the Feinstein Group struck a deal with the Government of Belize to build and operate the Stake Bank project, also known as Port Coral. At that time, the Barrow administration indicated it was considering granting Portico approval to build and operate a cruise ship docking facility near the Port of Belize. This twenty-five-year agreement was established before the Stake Bank Cruise Docking Facility Development Act came into effect in January 2018. Despite this agreement, the government approved another cruise ship docking facility in Belize District, leading to the controversial Port of Magical Belize. Feinstein argued that this move disrupted Stake Bank’s negotiations with financial institutions for project financing and with cruise ship operators for docking agreements, ultimately halting the construction of the Stake Bank Project. Feinstein sought several reliefs, including a declaration that the Government of Belize breached their August twenty-fifth, 2017 agreement, damages for breach of contract, and damages against Portico for inducing the breach, among other claims. Earlier this week, a notice of discontinuance was filed in the High Court, with Michael Feinstein stating he is “wholly discontinuing the action against the respondents in these proceedings”. However, litigation is still ongoing regarding the compulsory acquisition of nearly twenty-four acres of land on Stake Bank Island, with Feinstein suing the government over this issue.

Two Cane Farmers Charged for San Lazaro Murder

Two men from Orange Walk District, forty-seven-year-old Iran Moguel and twenty-four-year-old Emanuel Carillo, have been arrested and charged with the murder of Julio Carillo. The tragic incident occurred last Friday in San Lazaro Village, where Julio was brutally stabbed multiple times and left for dead away from the community. His decomposing body was discovered three days later in a cane field by two children who were out swimming. Reports indicate that Julio was last seen socializing with friends, and one of the suspects had previously stayed with the Carillo family.