Hurricane Beryl was a powerful storm that would have likely destroyed the most vulnerable homes in San Pedro. Most of these structures are built in low-lying swamps by squatters. And today, Mayor Wally Nunez told News Five that Hurricane Beryl has brought into sharp focus a perennial issue on the island. He reiterated that not only is building shacks in the mangroves a hazard, but it is illegal.
Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro
“That is something that we will have to look closely with the government to see how we can assist these people and probably relocate them in another area. But that is an ongoing process that we can’t just do overnight. We know that there’s a couple of them that have been going up in the mangrove areas that our building unit has been addressing. We actually had to put a stop to some of them and advising these people that they are squatting on places that are not their property, that they do not own, and we cannot allow it because we cannot allow for them to go and build on a mangrove. It is illegal.”
But there’s a plan to deal with those persons who live in San Pedro who don’t have a piece of land but need housing. Area Representative Andre Perez told News Five that there’s a housing project that he is overseeing that will materialize within the next few months. Perez says that the new subdivision is more than a hundred acres of land.
Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South
“In the past administration, lands were given out in a place that is just jungle. And people still cannot move there yet because there are no roads over there. So again, to do this, we want to give land to people whenever we find it and we’re getting it and we’ll get, however, we have to do it properly and we can’t come and say, well, you know, you have to pay me some money fi mek I survey it – we can’t do it. I’m working on a plan right now as the area rep. It’s going to be up north and I can tell you that I’m aggressively pushing for it. Very soon I’ll be getting a parcel to subdivide, but when I’m doing it, I am subdividing it, I am surveying it and it’s gonna come to the cost because you know, getting land here, of course, you have to pay the government for a piece of property. But what I’m doing is to, right now, finding resources to survey and subdivide. And when that comes, I will work also on putting in the roads. So that when a person comes, I can quantify and say, listen, this is what the cost was for survey, for the roads, this is what I end up paying. So there’s a fee to divide among all those lands there for the person who is interested in that piece of land to pay that fee as well plus what they have to pay to government for the property. So it’s also not only just giving a piece of land. We have to make sure whenever they get the land they can move in and start building their homes that they would want to build.”
San Pedranos and Caye Caulker residents have a good sense of when to evacuate, and even though Beryl’s course shifted northwards away from Belize, over four thousand residents of both islands still took no chance and sought shelter on the mainland. However, many remain in San Pedro and sought to batten down. In NEMO’s three o’clock media update today, we discovered that despite the caution issued, some merchants on that island are still looking to hike up the cost of goods, including plywood and sliced bread. Belize Rural South Area Representative Andre Perez and San Pedro Mayor Wally Nunez, who took part in the briefing, spoke on these issues.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South
“That was a big issue, not only with the price of bread that was being sold at $5 and it was a regular size 16-ounce loaf, and the receipt shows that it is $5. I don’t want to aim or isolate that specific business location, but we have been aware of this specific location actually, having high prices with ease. So certainly we’re looking at it. Not only with food prices, but also the issue of certainly a couple of businesspeople and hardware stores selling the plywood. I think they the half inch sizes which was going for $110 – ridiculous prices – what we’re seeing and we are meeting and saying that we do not have any space for this type of business. I think these are unscrupulous businesses that take advantage of our community when, in fact, it is our community that gives them the opportunity to do business in San Pedro and by extension, in Caye Caulker as well. And that’s uncomfortable. It’s illegal as well, of course, to do that. But also, it’s an ethical man. You don’t do that to a community that is needed at the same time. So we know who they are. Mayor and I were very much discussing that we are going to be visiting these people and also to further mention that the bureau standards and we’re actively engaged with them and they are going to actually, to avoid this. It happens all the time. This is not the only time we’re seeing this, but especially in this extraordinary time where the storms is – we are under threat. No, but the point is we are looking at getting eight people trained. We have gotten the advice already from the Bureau of Standards. We’re going to get eight people and two for Caye Caulker to go through that training. So we have them permanently staffed here in San Pedro and Caye Caulker because it’s too much. We got to put a stop to it. And the evidence on that one was clear. Five dollars for a local bread, unacceptable.”
Wally Nunez
Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro
“You can clearly see that there’s not that much people on the street because there’s a lot of people out there who left the island. So if we can put a word to it, it looks like a ghost town out there. We don’t have much people going around earlier today. We had some people that were doing their last-minute shopping, but after everything closed down at 12 o’clock, everybody went back home. Right now I am heading to another meeting and I will be out. And I will be checking out how it looks out there.”
The past few days have been filled with anticipation as Belizeans and neighbors from the Caribbean and Central American brace for Hurricane Beryl. Officials from the National Meteorological Service say that the storm will not pose a direct threat to Belize. Nonetheless, the public is advised to proceed with caution as the storm may change its path at any moment. With that in mind, hundreds of Belizeans are evacuating their homes in San Pedro and Caye Caulker to seek shelter on the mainland. Local airlines and water taxis are suspending services until an all clear is given. News Five’s Britney Gordon spoke to a few of those businesses today for more information. Here’s that story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
In the next twenty-four hours, Hurricane Beryl is anticipated to make landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula. According to the National Meteorological Service, Belize is not in the direct path of the category four hurricane, but is expected to receive heavy rain, winds, and flooding, particularly in the northern districts. Considering this, Caribbean Sprinter and San Pedro Belize Express water taxi services are taking precautions to ensure the safety of their customers and employees by suspending services. We spoke with Shameeka Pennill, Marketing Manager at San Pedro Belize Express for more information on this decision.
Shameeka Pennill
Shameeka Pennill, Marketing Manager, San Pedro Belize Express
“Well right now we’re just in preparation to bring in everyone in from the island as much as we can. Right now it’s still voluntary evacuation. Today’s our last day of operation. So we’re doing five runs from Key Cocker and San Pedro. And after that’s the end of our operations for today until further notice.”
Pennill explained that the last boat left San Pedro at three o’clock and at three thirty from Caye Caulker this afternoon. She said that the company has seen a steady stream of customers as people continue to evacuate the islands.
Shameeka Pennill
“I recently checked in with the port manager in San Pedro, and he’s saying at least six hundred people have arrived. Six hundred persons and that was about an hour ago.”
Britney Gordon
“So that’s been within the past two days?”
Shameeka Pennill
“No, that’s just for today. That’s just for today on these runs.”
Many residents are leaving the islands to ensure their own safety; however, a few are returning to the mainland to be with family members who are also at risk. Kristian Puerto, a San Pedro resident, told us that he is heading back to his family in Corozal to help during the storm.
Kristian Puerto
Kristian Puerto, San Pedro Resident
“Me personally, the last, the last one that hit was just a tropical storm. And this is the first major hurricane that I’m going to have to be evacuating from the island. And yes, I’ve noticed a lot of people, especially a lot of people from the, from mainland Belize. They’re kind of evacuate the islands. Most of the people I noticed staying in the islands are the are the people that are from from the island, but most of the people that work on the island are from the out district. They’re definitely heading back home. Everybody is trying to bunker up.”
San Pedro Belize Express anticipates that services will resume in a couple of days, after damage assessments have been completed. We spoke with Max Greif, CEO of Tropic Air, to find out about the company’s operation plan for the next few days.
Max Greif
Max Greif, CEO, Tropic Air
“We ramped up service for Tuesday and then we’re operating our full schedule for Wednesday and then effective tomorrow morning, we’ll be suspending operations. Our anticipation is that we’ll be operating with minimal service beginning on Friday. That’s also dependent on the government, making sure that there’s an all clear given, but then we expect to be fully operational on Saturday as well.”
Greif explained that while the company observed a slight increase in sales on Tuesday, it was offset by the cancellation of flights for Thursday. He said that despite the net loss, the safety of his customers is a priority.
Max Greif
“At the end of the day, we’re an airline or we’re not a bank. We’re not a grocery store. We deal with people’s lives. And so we made the difficult decision on Monday based on the path and the trajectory and the strength of the storm and the expected landfall. So we made the decision to suspend operations effective on Thursday. I’ll be honest, it’s a difficult decision, but it’s a personal decision. At the end of the day, if I don’t feel comfortable sending my wife and kids, I’m not going to send anybody else’s family.”
As Hurricane Beryl approaches mainland, San Pedranos and other residents from Caye Caulker who anticipate heavy wind and rainfall are seeking shelter elsewhere with family and friends in various districts. We spoke with Chief Transport Officer Leon Gentle to find out how many people are currently evacuating and what are the operation plans for the Transport Department when faced with an emergency.
Leon Gentle
Leon Gentle, Deputy Chair, Transport and Evacuation
“As you may know as a part of our constitution, it’s we’re not forcing anybody to evacuate. So at this point, we’re currently working on voluntary evacuation efforts. What I can tell you is that the San Pedro Coordinator, Miss Vanessa Parham who works closely with the islands are currently in the process of ensuring that as much persons who are willing to evacuate are doing so now it the numbers that we’ve received so far from San Pedro and Caye Caulker is somewhere around one thousand three hundred persons from Caye Caulker and one thousand two hundred persons from San Pedro. And that’s through one of the companies, the San Pedro Belize Express, who we do have an MOU with when it comes to these types of situations where we are asking persons to voluntarily evacuate. We also have that same agreement with the Caribbean Sprinter and those persons who provide that service for the cayes. And so Caribbean Sprinters so far has evacuated around three hundred and eighty-four passengers and two Corozal, they both Thunderbolt has evacuated ninety-six. As of today, one hundred two persons were evacuated as of three p.m. today. So the island and the town council along with the NEMO coordinator there have been working diligently with the Transport and Evacuation Committee to provide that service for lesions or persons. Out there on the keys. What I can also note is that the Coast Guard has been moving around in the smaller islands to provide information for persons who may not have the technology that provides that information for them. And so thanks to the Coast Guard, thanks to the boat companies to provide that support for us through the Transport and Evacuation Committee of NEMO.”
Residents and the business community of San Pedro have had numerous experiences with hurricanes threatening Belize over the past two decades. So, when the news emerged that Hurricane Beryl was heading in this general direction, the San Pedro Town Council wasted no time to mobilize and convene emergency management meetings. Even though Beryl has shifted course a bit and is now heading north of Belize, today, the town council met with the NEMO coordinator and the various departments. That meeting included the Coast Guard and even neighborhood watch groups to prepare themselves in the event Beryl changes course and jogs due west. News Five’s Marion Ali files a report on that meeting.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The San Pedro Town Council is wasting no time in taking precautionary measures ahead of Hurricane Beryl, if the storm changes course and heads directly our way. Today, Mayor Wally Nunez told News Five that they have been asking the residents to seek higher ground and they have taken heed to that advice.
Wally Nunez
Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro
“One of the things that we are looking at as NEMO is having a count of how much people are leaving the island up to this morning at 10 a.m. We had roughly around 600 people who had left the island.”
There is that group of people, however, that perhaps, because of their youth, are not taking the threat of a hurricane seriously. Mayor Nunez offered some useful advice to them.
Wally Nunez
“It is not something just to take it lightly. A lot of people are just planning hurricane parties and people are planning because they’re going to be off from work. I think we need to take it a lot more serious. I know some people haven’t experienced a hurricane before, but it is quite dangerous and it could be catastrophic.”
The plane and water taxi services have also taken an early decision to call off normal trips to and from the island as of Wednesday.
Wally Nunez
“Caribbean Swinter had informed that they would be closing off midday tomorrow. And also, Tropic Air had a release that they would be operating up until, I think it was 11 or midday tomorrow as well. I don’t know if they will have an update on that based on what the trajectory of the storm is taking.”
With only two hurricane shelters in San Pedro, Mayor Nunez said that it is prudent that the residents have been moving off the island on their own., The shelters are primarily used for the neediest people.
Wally Nunez
“We only have two places for shelters, use the shelters. And they don’t carry a lot of about or quite the number of people in there. Compared to the amount of residents that here on the island so it is. It is for that same reason that we were asking for voluntary evacuation because, you I know that during a storm. We need to find a better location or a secret area areas where it’s higher. And even our shelters are not in the best location, but it’s what we have and what we can offer. So that’s for that same reason we were asking people to find another location probably in the mainland. But we have, the sagebrush. And the other one is, is a youth center from the Catholic Church, but the youth center from the church, we usually use it mostly for the disabled persons for the elderly.”
Earlier we heard San Pedro Mayor, Wally Nunez say that islanders have been taking early precautionary steps to prepare for Beryl in the event it dips in its track and comes closer our way. And as has been the case, when there’s an emergency, merchants and shop owners begin to price gouge, but that will not be tolerated in San Pedro, according to Mayor Wally Nunez. He told us that the San Pedro Town Council has been getting out that message clearly on the radio station and the various media platforms on the island.
Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro
“They cannot be doing that. It is illegal and they can face consequences, especially through their trade license. If they are caught increasing any of those prices, because this is a time when we’re supposed to unite and help each other and not take advantage of people. And our staff has been out there checking on the different stores, grocery stores and the hardware stores to make sure that they are not decreasing the prices of the goods.”
Marion Ali
“Okay, so there is monitoring of that, yes?”
Wally Nunez
“Yes, definitely. We are monitoring that but if there’s anybody who has information of any establishment that is increasing the prices to please let us know through our Facebook page or call the Town Council.”
Lobster season will officially get underway in the next six days and fisherfolks have already deployed hundreds of lobster traps and shades to prepare for their first catch. With the opening of the season comes the buzz surrounding lobster fests. Three of Belize’s prime tourist destinations, San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia host these events in July. Each has its own unique history and approach to these lobster-themed festivities. But one thing stands true across these communities, Lobster Fest presents an opportunity for significant economic gains among restauranters, hoteliers and fisherfolks. Over the weekend, the Belize Tourism Board organized a media field trip to San Pedro and Caye Caulker to speak with organizers and beneficiaries of the highly anticipated annual fests. In the first installment of this two-part report, we look at the history and economic benefits of Lobster Fest. In a subsequent newscast, we will look closer at how sustainable fishing practices are important to the longevity of the celebration. Here is that report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The start of a hunting or fishing season is seldom cause for celebration in Belize. That is unless it is the opening of the lobster season. By law, fisherfolks can catch lobsters within an eight-month period, starting on July first. On Ambergris Caye, residents celebrate this occasion with thirteen days of lobster-themed festivities. Rebecca Arceo chairs the committee that plans the annual event.
Rebecca Arceo
Rebecca Arceo, Chair, San Pedro Business Association
“Actually it was someone who use to live in the states who said they have pre-hunting parties. They would go out hunting and have a party and it was just kind of how you make it interesting for tourists but not make it more expensive, give them a reason to come and that it literally was born out of that idea.”
San Pedro’s Lobster Fest has been running for the past thirteen years. Initially it was only three days of celebration, a pre-party, an opening day party and eight booths. Today, it has expanded to include dozens of businesses, while attracting thousands of visitors to the island. Over the course of the thirteen days, the organizers host a Lobster Crawl. Each day the celebration is held at different business locations.
Rebbeca Arceo
“When tourist goes to an event, they meet other tourist, and they start travelling together to go to another event because it is like oh we met you yesterday so let us go to another event with you and then we have people that come back year after year because they met friends and meet up with those friends again.”
San Pedro Lobster Fest also gives restaurants an opportunity to earn extra income during a relatively slow tourism season. Chef Ana Najaro has been participating in the block party since its inception.
Ana Najaro
Ana Najaro, Chef
“I started with me being the solo at my booth to now having fourteen fifteen staff member for that night only. For me for my booth, I am not being boastful but sometimes I have a whole two lines waiting for food and to be served. Lobster Fest marks a very important night of the year for me.”
And, as Chef Jennie Staines, the executive chef over at Elvi’s Kitchen explains, Lobster Fest inspires restaurants to push the boundaries beyond traditional lobster dishes. She has won best lobster dish for four years, consecutively.
Jennie Staines
Jennie Staines, Executive Chef, Elvi’s Kitchen
“The perfect way for me is by boiling lobster and eating it with butter. That is the way I like it. But, lobster, the trick is never overcooking a lobster. I am very innovative so for the first year I did a lobster burger. The second year I did a hotdog. Thank god that every year I have participated in lobster fest I have had tails on the booth till late at night and one year I sold two hundred and fifty-six pounds of lobster.”
From San Pedro, we headed over to Caye Caulker, another prominent tourist destination in Belize. La Isla Carinosa holds the title of the longest running lobster fest in the country, after three decades of annual celebrations and two generations of planning committees. Porfilio Guzman is one of ten residents that started Caye Caulker Lobster Fest in 1994.
“People worldwide and Belizeans look forward to Caye Caulker Lobster Fest because we dah the original. San Pedro and Placencia they come ten and five years after, but we have record and we have been registered as Caye Caulker Lobster Fest.”
The new generation of the Caye Caulker Lobster Fest Planning Committee is led by Sharry Trejo.
“It is very challenging. There are only seven of us in the committee. We are all business owners. We tend to leave our business behind a little bit to concentrate on the preparations for this festival. It is a lot. Sometimes it is frustrating, but our main goal is to ensure that the community are the sole beneficiaries. We don’t do it for ourselves. We do it for everyone here because this is the only festival that Caye Caulker has.”
Among the beneficiaries who Trejo speaks about is Ruby Jiminez, the chef at Elba’s Little Kitchen. There is also Elsa Guzman the Owner of Happy Lobster. Both women are from Caye Caulker.
Ruby Jiminez
Ruby Jiminez, Chef, Elba’s Little Kitchen
“Wooo, everybody is excited, everybody is prepping because events like this we get extra people on the island. We have to prepare extra and make sure we are all ready and ready to serve people lobster for lobster fest.”
Elsa Guzman
Elsa Guzman, Owner, Happy Lobster
“If you notice for the last years we have less lobster. It is harder to get. Before we would not even have to call the fishermen. Now we have to call them.”
This morning, the Government of Belize inaugurated a new office space in San Pedro that houses the National Emergency Management Organization, the Department of the Environment and the Forestry Department. The opening of a D.O.E. office on Ambergris Caye is significant because of the rapid development that’s taking place on the island. The office space is the result of a partnership between the Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management and the Ministry of Sustainable Development. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Orlando Habet
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
“As we open the doors to these new offices, it is a testament to our unwavering dedication to conservation, to sustainable development and continued growth in our nation. This momentous occasion underscores our shared responsibility to nurture and protect the natural wonders that grace our nation, as well as the livelihoods of the people.”
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Ambergris Caye continues to develop rapidly. To keep up with the growth of the island, the Government of Belize has opened a multipurpose space in San Pedro. It includes an administrative center for the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, as well as an office for the Department of the Environment. Area Representative Andre Perez is also the Minister of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Minister, Disaster Risk Management
“I want to especially welcome the DOE as a symbol of the government’s commitment to work hand in hand with our community to protect and sustain our precious environment. Development is important. Development, especially on Ambergris Caye, is fast-growing, but with that growth we also have to be very careful. As the person from the invocation said, we have to do it in a very sustainable manner. We have to be very… guiding ourselves with that very fine balance of development but at the same time preserving our environment that it is sustainable.”
As area rep for Belize Rural South, Andre Perez promised his constituents that all major government departments would have offices in San Pedro to facilitate an ease of doing business. The Ministry of Sustainable Development has made good on its word.
Orlando Habet
“The establishment of these sub offices of the Department of the Environment, the National Emergency Management Organization and the Forest Department signifies the Government of Belize’s commitment really signifying that this is part of Plan Belize. The primary mandate, collectively, for these departments will be to ensure that the entire Ambergris Caye and surrounding areas, including Caye Caulker and Caye Chapel, develop in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.”
The DOE’s presence on the island ensures that all major development projects are properly monitored and environmentally compliant.
Orlando Habet
“This will be done through operational, advisory and regulatory strategies to address current and future anthropogenic threats to the islands such as rapid tourism development, clearing of mangroves, the dredging of the seabed, land filling and improper management or liquid, solid and hazardous waste.”
Chief Environmental Officer, Anthony Mai reiterated the importance of a collaborative approach to safeguarding the environment.
Anthony Mai
Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer
“I always say this and I will say it again today, that the environmental challenges that affect Belize cannot be resolved by the DOE alone and so we need all key partners in order for us to manage the Jewel.”
Development and conservation can coexist harmoniously when sustainability is prioritized. Isani Cayetano for News Five.
The 2024 Lobster season opens at the beginning of July. Lobster is a huge income earner for fisherfolks and restaurant owners in prime tourist destinations like Ambergris Caye. So, islanders go big at the start of the season with their thirteen-day Lobster Fest. It’s the largest celebration at the opening of the season in the country. Last year, Lobster Fest drew more than five thousand visitors to the island. Ahead of this year’s calendar of events, the Belize Tourism Board organized a press trip to get an inside look at how Lobster Fest has evolved across the country over the years and its impact on the communities that host them. Rebecca Arcero chairs the event’s planning committee.
“Originally it started with the idea that June and July were slow months for San Pedro for tourism. We needed to build up Tourism and we needed an idea to draw people in. So the idea was that the opening of Lobster season was an ideal draw. Everyone loves lobster. So these association members came up with the idea that we will do a pre party in the night before everyone is gearing up to go the following the day. Then we would have an opening day event followed by a block party. Originally we had three days, a pre-party and opening party and then a block party. The first year had about eight participants in terms of businesses in terms of booths. We are now up to twenty five booths and two weeks of events leading up to that block party and last year we had five thousand people attend. And I have to say it is really the dedication of the community that has thus growing because they participate, organize the event. We coordinate, but it’s their venue that makes it exciting, makes it appealing.”
