Coast Guard Commandant: The Public Happy with Relief Efforts

Elton Bennett

Rear Admiral Bennett said the public has shown gratitude for the help they have received through the relief efforts. And while there are still some people they need to reach, Bennett says that a lot of work has taken place since Hurricane Lisa hit.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“We’ve seen individuals that are affected welcome the Coast Guard into their sphere of dwelling, delivering supplies – not only dropping off supplies in front of people’s houses but getting inside their homes and having a chat with them. So we’ve seen a good sense of appreciation from those who are affected. I’ve never seen a well-coordinated operation like this. When I say coordinated, not only on the government’s part but the individuals’ part, the neighbourhood, public-private sector coming together, government agencies working together under one umbrella in order to achieve one effort. I’ve never seen this before. I’ve never seen a drive like this before, and I’ve been through quite a bit of hurricanes being in the service for over twenty-five years. I’ve seen quite a few hurricanes passing through the country and disaster-relief operations but this seems to be an operation that has brought us together. I think we’ve achieved a whole lot within a short period of time. We need to understand and appreciate that we got hit by a category one hurricane here in Belize City, so we need to understand that the impact was great. It will take a little more tiem in order to get back to normal.”