NEMO Retracts Hurricane Announcement  

Earlier today, the National Emergency Management Organization issued a hurricane watch alert, notifying the public of a potential storm. This sparked alarm, considering that Belize is only just beginning to recover from the fires that devastated thousands of acres of land across the country. However, shortly after the notice was posted, it was pulled, and NEMO issued an apology for the post. We spoke with the Minister of Disaster Risk Management, Andre Perez, who told us that the announcement was an accident.

 

Andre Perez, Minister of Disaster Risk Management

“We discussed it already and it was just a slip of that, but it was cleared up. It was quickly cleared up and caught up and I’m glad that it was caught up because people are following us. But yes, we discussed it that we’re doing some exercise, we’re doing some education and some kind of topic typographical error or occurred, but it’s been sorted.”

 

Reporter

“Were you guys prepared to deal with the several amounts of heavy rain projected across the country?”

 

 Andre Perez

“We have discussed and had several meetings, had many meeting as a ministry, the fire and after the fire, how we do the recovery and also including the preparations in the event of floods, we will have to redeploy. So all of this has been planned out. Of course, we’re exhausted, but we are prepared.”

 

Reporter

“Does the situation in Mexico pose a threat to us?”

 

Andre Perez

“It’s the entire region. We’re looking at the floods and I bet you saw what happened in the news. Up North, especially in the village of Harvester Ridge, up North in the Western part of the Orange Walk District, Nemo is way ahead of where we are than we were fifteen years ago, and I want to see that positive way, and the engagement that we have as a minister, our C.E.O., the entire department, the whole disaster risk management is inherently linked and lined up with the Ministry of Blue Economy. It’s all in one. So it’s pretty much, we’re excited in terms, and we’re inspired, we’re motivated, and today this information that happens today is part of putting everything together.”