And while a lot of the disaster response is focussed on shelter safety, many leaving their home for higher ground or a stronger roof worry about burglars seizing on the opportunity to break in.
The Commissioner of Police told us what law enforcement has planned to minimise opportunistic crime:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Many persons may be forced to leave their homes and go to shelters all with a view to ensure their personal safety during the storm and with that it is only prudent that we put things in place to ensure that we have a good complement of officers who will be conducting patrols before and after the storm. We still want to appeal to those persons who are leaving their homes to at least put the necessary security measures in place with a view to make it more difficult for burglars to be able to break in and enter and again from the police standpoint we would have patrols out up to the last minute before the storm hit. The officers will be out on patrols for as long as the weather permits the officers to be out on patrol. We also going to 12-hour shift system as of 6pm this evening, again, we will give us additional officers to be able to manned the hurricane shelters, command shelters, conduct patrols and at the same time have a standby search and rescue team which is going to comprise of police and members of the Belize Defence Force. So we have our plan in place to be able to respond and to some extent I believe that we have a good plan. It is not going to be 100% burglary proof, because criminals will find an opportunity. But what we are going to do is minimize the opportunity as best as we can and we well as let me say the curfew that is currently in place may also assist us with a view to ensure that we manage the amount of person who are on the street as well as to be able to question person who are found on the street."
