Belizean Living in Merida Prepares for Hurricane Milton

Thirty-year-old Windel Castillo has made preparations as category 5 hurricane Milton is expected to brush the Yucatan Peninsula.

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm on Monday as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico, heading toward Florida. A hurricane warning has been issued for parts of Mexico’s Yucatan state, which is expected to be sideswiped by the storm.

Castillo has been living in Merida for quite some time. When he heard that Milton had intensified into a category 5 storm, Castillo told News 5, “To be honest with you, I was not in such a panic because we had had Beryl, and then it went up, and now Milton, which is a Category 5.”

He added, “So I didn’t go in a panic; I just did what I know, which is getting my canned food, making sure that I have enough water, and the basic preparations that you need for like any hurricane.”

Castillo, who has been living in Merida for about three years, shared that this is the first time that they are experiencing back-to-back hurricanes. “So I always make sure I’m prepared, and for the last three months it’s been raining almost every day… I live on the north side. So normally the north side doesn’t have much flooding. It’s normally more in the central area, or the south does have a lot of flooding. But again, you always need to make sure you’re on the safe side because we use like water pumps to like get water and everything is connected to the vat.”

Castillo says he will continue to monitor the storm and rely on information provided by local authorities.