The Briceño administration recently approved an additional one point five million dollars for the National Emergency Management Organization to aid in recovery efforts. However, in the coming days, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing is also expected to submit an estimated cost for repairing the damaged roads across the affected areas.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We just approved in the budget for NEMO, in the last supplementary budget, I think we had one point five million dollars. So we have to make that available and I am sure that when we speak with Minister Espat from MIDH and their team, and they come to tell us the level of damage that our highways and in the north, the sugar roads, roads for farmers, village roads, village streets, the amount of damage that they’ve had… It’s going to be substantial. Let’s see how we could assess the damage and get it done. I think that what we want to see is that the central government gets the work done. We work closely with the mayor, I believe we respect him and he is quite active in the work that does here, certainly in the twin towns and we are here to serve the people.”
Paul Lopez “What can you tell us about residents living beyond the Bullet Tree Bridge and what they can expect by way of some sort of aid from government or any agency?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“The very same thing that we said we were going to do in all the villages. In these areas, the area representatives are making assessments. For instance, I think it was Calla Creek that also had some record flooding but the water ran off but there was damage to property.”
The National Met Service reports that Middle Caye bore the brunt of the rain from Tropical Storm Sara. This small coral island, one of four along Glover’s Reef in the Stann Creek District, was drenched with a staggering seventeen inches of rainfall. A forecaster told News Five today that Middle Caye received the lion’s share of the storm’s downpour.
Via phone: Francisca Wellington
Via phone: Francisca Wellington, Weather Forecaster
“San Ignacio for the Friday to Sunday, they recorded over three inches of rainfall. That goes for Santa Elena and Bullet Tree and then for Benque it’s over four inches. We have another station up in the Cayo District. It’s called Black Rock. It’s near the river and that recorded over four point five inches. In Belmopan there were six inches of rainfall from Friday to Sunday. We had over ten inches from Friday to Sunday and then out in the cayes. Middle Caye recorded over seventeen inches between Friday and Sunday. Remember now, the rain is not only occurring in the country of Belize. It was also occurring over in Guatemala and some of our rivers, especially the Macal River, Mopan River, this area. These rivers come from those areas as well over Guatemala. So all of that rainfall is coming down through our rivers.”
While most of the rain fell over Middle Caye, Hydrologist Tenielle Hendy explained today that the mountains to the south and west of Belize received the bulk of the rainfall. This is causing significant flooding out west. So, even though Middle Caye got a whopping seventeen inches of rain, it’s the Cayo District, which only received about four inches, that’s dealing with severe flooding.
Tenielle Hendy
Tenielle Hendy, Hydrologist
“For the central areas of the country mainly, we’re seeing flood warning in effect for those rivers. The Mopan, Belize River, Sibun River, going into the south, we’re now seeing the City River, the Bladen and Swayze branches of the Monkey River, and all those emanating off the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains. We’re still seeing flooding and flood warning for those areas. What we do have still is the landslide threat. The landslide threat is positive for the next twenty-four hours, and it’s showing mainly in that Hummingbird Highway, Southern Highway into the south back west, towards the border with Guatemala is showing a positive indication for landslide threats. We have focused on the San Ignacio region, and like I said, it’s nine point six meters, so between twenty-seven, thirty, thirty-one feet of water we’re seeing there. The same we’re seeing now in the Mopan, where more between twelve to fifteen feet of water at the highest recorded extreme. For Crooked Tree, it’s increasing, but it’s not that it’s going to cover the causeway. We at this point, we do have reports of certain parts of the village being flooded at this time, but so far, based on the data that we’ve collected, San Ignacio has received the highest flood levels that we have seen with the passage of Tropical Storm Sara.”
In Roaring Creek, the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Sara over the weekend are making their way from western Belize through the rivers and tributaries towards the Caribbean Sea. This means the Macal, Sibun, and Belize Rivers are among the main ones flooding right now. The water has already submerged the old bridge in Roaring Creek and is creeping under the newly elevated bridge, leaving several homes under several feet of water. Today, News Five caught up with two residents who were out surveying the scene. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Even though Roaring Creek is more centrally located, it has low-lying areas that are prone to flooding. Shenell Trapp was out in the flood with a canoe.
Shenell Trapp
Shenell Trapp, Roaring Creek Resident
“We’re having an experience of our life, you know, helping people and having fun fishing, touring.”
Delmarie Gordon says that so far, Sara has not affected her, unlike previous storms.
Delmarie Gordon
Delmarie Gordon, Resident, Roaring Creek
“Ih nuh too bad.”
Britney Gordon
So nothing went into your house this time?
Delmarie Gordon
“No.”
Britney Gordon
Can you tell me about the times when it was bad and water went into your house, what kind of damages did you see?
Delmarie Gordon
“Ih damage all the mattresses and the stove.”
Britney Gordon
But this time you said that you left the house on Thursday. Why is that?
Delmarie Gordon
“Because I mi gone stay da mi sista house cause mi niece mi gone out.”
Britney Gordon
“So just in case that it had gotten really bad, you decided not to stay there.”
Delmarie Gordon
“Yes.”
Britney Gordon
“And your brother is still there at this time, he’s taking care of the house?
Delmarie Gordon
“Mhmm.”
Shenell Trapp said whenever the village floods, they put aside their everyday activities to help those in need in the community.
Britney Gordon
“You tell me that every time there’s a flood, this canoe gets brought out; you guys help your neighbors. Can you talk to me about that?”
Shenell Trapp
“Yes, sometimes our neighbors stay in the house and then they call for rescue or to take food for them. So last night our neighbor over there wanted to come out around eight-thirty last night and we rescued him.”
In San Ignacio, the Macal River surged above the town’s market for the first time in nearly five years. Today, it started to recede, albeit slowly. By the afternoon, market vendors were busy cleaning up. However, just outside San Ignacio in Bullet Tree, the situation looks grim. The bridge has been closed for several days, and residents beyond the Bullet Tree Bridge are either in shelters or bracing for the worst. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Crossing a flooded bridge is no small feat, which is why the Bullet Tree Bridge has been closed to vehicles. However, for some residents living beyond the bridge, crossing on foot is a necessity. They’re either braving the risks to get basic supplies or, like these two gentlemen, to get to work. We spoke with one Bullet Tree resident who was watching the scene unfold.
Alfonso Tesecum
Alfonso Tesecum, Bullett Tree Resident
“Right now it is not so bad right now. But the last time we did not see the river running so fast. But, right now the river is getting higher. This morning when I pass here, this road, the bridge was getting up, but suddenly it start to come again more higher. I see some people try to walk across it but it is dangerous right now. No vehicle could pass it because it almost reach by the police station and that will be dangerous.”
We then made our way across the pedestrian path on the bridge to hear from the residents on the other side. A large portion of the bridge was underwater, but the pedestrian path was still above water. Once we crossed the bridge, we found ourselves wading through over two feet of rushing water. On the other side we spoke with Robert Perez, a resident of the area.
Robert Perez
Robert Perez, Resident, Camalote
“Last night it went down almost at the entrance of the bridge. But by this morning around seven o’clock it already by that sign that says road closed. But by this afternoon we see it is where it is, an it is rising even more higher. It is affecting me big time because we are tacos vendors. We are across the bridge and not able to do our sales as normal. Then also I have my child that I haven’t returned home, because I cant cross the bridge. It is affecting me and as you can see here a lot of houses are already under water. Well at least one foot underwater.”
We also met a resident who, along with her family, has taken refuge in a church. She shared that her home is now submerged, and the rising river is threatening their temporary shelter, which they’ve been in since the early hours of Saturday morning. They went without potable water all weekend, but thankfully, it was restored this morning.
Voice of: Raquel Lobos
Voice of: Raquel Lobos, Flood Victim
“My uncle is back there with my aunt, because my aunt is taking care of a little old lady. They cant come out, but the river is rising and surely it will enter our house.”
Paul Lopez
“What will they do?”
Voice of Raquel Lobos
“They are on that side, seeing what it can do, but we did not expect this. We thought it was going down. But, I don’t know. It is just rising up. It is coming up and it is tough. I am in a worries right now.”
Downtown San Ignacio saw the Macal River reach Hurricane Mitch levels. Some residents saw the flood waters as an opportunity to drive their jet skis through the town. By this morning, it began to recede, and market vendors who enacted their evacuation plans on Saturday were back today to assess the damage.
Aoifa Wade
Aoifa Wade, Entrepreneur
“The water reached all the way here and you could tell all the floor is muddy and the walls they to power wash everything because the walls kept draining down. And it was not like as bad as 2020 because 2020 reached all the way to the top, but it was pretty bad. For us the wakeup sign is when it reaches the stairs behind the San Ignacio sign. It actually reached behind the bathroom area so we were like this is going to get really bad. The water just started to raise pretty quickly and we were in shock and it stayed like that for two days.”
Paul Lopez
“Have you all ever considered moving from here or why stay here?”
Aoifa Wade
“We have, because not only the weather. It is a danger to us as well, because the furniture can fall. We can get hurt. I mean, someone asked the mayor today why not move the market from the riverside. As vendors, we can’t do anything about it. We can just stay here and hope for the best.”
And so today we asked the mayor for his thoughts on relocating the market to higher ground.
Earl Trapp
Earl Trapp, Mayor, SE/SI
“It makes a lot of sense. The only good thing with being here we have the nice Macal view, but in terms of keeping the market open and service already available, I think it is a good idea to be looking at an area we can get relocate in the near future. With global warming and climate change, I don’t see it getting any better. So, you are right, we can have a lot of freak storm and river rising. I think it is an excellent idea and it is something that I will take up as a local leader and put it in consultation with the general public.”
In the meantime, as of midday, the Macal River was just below the roofs of the wooden structures on the newly built boardwalk.
Earl Trapp
“With the pressure that is coming from the Mopan River and that river is still rising. It mean that this river will take a lot longer before it recedes and before this low lying bridge becomes readily available for the people.”
We’ve already shared how the villagers in Roaring Creek are coping with the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Sara. Meanwhile, residents on the other side of the creek in More Tomorrow Village are doing slightly better. Over the weekend, they were wading through waist-deep water, but it has since receded. However, one villager mentioned that they expect the water levels to rise again in the coming days.
Terrence Sutherland
Terrence Sutherland, More Tomorrow Resident
“The rain that come the last couple of days mein. It really flood out this area from here gaan right down tha lone water you see and I went to the village this morning and mein it was so rough and I know the people down there tek a liking because of the rain, it was a lot of rain. Down that side it was pretty rough. Like I tell you in some of the house people still have water and some have more water like what I tell you the river is still coming down, so the river nuh reach yet down here.”
Britney Gordon
“How high would you say the water is”
Terrence Sutherland
“Well I would figure about 3 or 4 feet in those people house, and it will get more higher because like I tell you the water still the come down.”
Britney Gordon
“And you said it wasn’t too bad on your farm over here, but like what did you see?”
Terrence Sutherland
“Well when I come out from out of my house. I come out like two and a half feet out in my yard with water.”
Britney Gordon
“And you said you recently to more of the entrance, what was it like when you were living back there?”
Terrence Sutherland
“It was pretty rougher, just like what I tell you. The water reach way in the house. Like when I mih deh deh like a couple of five inches inside the house.”
Britney Gordon
“Would you say that it has gotten worse over the years? Or has it been better? Is there anything to alleviate it?”
Terrence Sutherland
“Well I think with this flood weh the come right now it’s just like a hurricane flood. To me it get the same way or worse. It could be a little worse”
Britney Gordon
“How do you see the villagers coping with it.”
Terrence Sutherland
“Well. Like I tell you I mih live back there already more in the village before I move to my farm and we just have to cope with it. Like an animal on a little hill you know but all ah we just have to stay together.”
Britney Gordon
“So they just go through the water and go where they have to go?”
Terrence Sutherland
“Yeah, they have to come out and do a little shopping, and go back inside and just try to make life back again, but yesterday the little group mih come back here and pass and I think they gave them a little food. The food they gave them is not for no long while but for probably a couple days, about two three days and they wah need food again.”
Britney Gordon
“So how long do you think it will be until this water goes down, you said more is to come but how long does that usually last?”
Terrence Sutherland
“When that water left from San Ignacio, it take like two days and a half to reach down here and down here it will last another two and a half to three days down right in the village.”
