And one Cabinet member who wasn’t at today’s almost two hour long press conference was Sports and Youth Minister Marcel Cardona. That’s because he was in his division Orange Walk East. Footage provided by his press team show that flood waters are seriously affecting both Orange Walk Town and Santa Martha Village – where one woman’s home was submerged and one man found a float of baby crocodiles in his yard.
Hon. Marcel Cardona, Area Representative – Orange Walk East
“The areas that are being affected right now are the river side areas. As you can see, some of the houses, for example that house across there, is already isolated, has already been isolated from the rest of the land area. It is now fully covered with water all around and there are other houses in the vicinity that are in danger of being flooded at this time. The Santa Martha area thank God, the effects have not been great in terms of material loss to
possessions etc. There has been no loss of human life, I did not come across any home that was under water, that was flooded so that is good. The exception is of course the damage to the crops and to the infrastructure, the road infrastructure leading to the farms etc., the sugar roads. Those have been severely damaged, eroded etc.”
Resident #1,
“We are at Lopez Creek area, Santa Martha Village. This is not a river, this is a sugar road so this is flooded under water. Well you could see this is nearly to my chest, this is four feet. This affect we a lot because we can’t go across so. We have machines but they can’t pass so we have to haul it with maybe horses or bike or whatever.”
Resident #2,
“My family right now is affected too much, my cane and everything is under the water.”
Fortunato Noble,
How will you get through this?
Resident #2,
“I don’t know how, try to get help from the Minister for the village. Right now no assistance right now.”
Resident #3,
“Well the flood is raising and thing and there will be better crocodiles. This is the smallest we’ve seen since it started to raise.”
Hon. Marcel Cardona,
“It is one o’clock Wednesday October 22nd and the water is still raising?”
Resident #3,
“Yes it is still raising.”
Fortunato Noble,
So apart from your stuff being wet, you now have animals in your yard.
Resident #3,
“No we don’t have pets, we have a couple dogs in the yard and thing but we are trying to get rid of the dogs them before the crocodiles come more.”
Fortunato Noble,
What do you worry about the most?
Resident #3,
“We worry about the things we have in the place and so and the damage from the flood water. After this we will need some serious medication and those things.”
Resident #4,
“It is very bad because look at my house, my house high high already. Everything is under water. I have to move. I have to wait until I get the house fixed because I can’t come back again so and now I come back so. it is the first time I see it so high. It has never gone so high yet. The last time it came up but it wasn’t so high.”
Serious flooding persists also in Orange Walk North area where water levels continue to rise. It is most sever in the villages of Douglas, San Antonio – where the water is so high that access has been blocked, and San Roman where reports say there are about three miles of the road underwater
The Met Office reports that levels are at flood stage and rising on the Rio Hondo and the New River. River levels remain above the Mitch stage at Blue Creek and Douglas and continue to rise. Rising flood stage continues to affect San Antonio, San Roman, San Victor, and Douglas villages. River levels near Tower Hill have exceeded the Hurricane Mitch stage and near Caledonia has exceeded the Hurricane Keith stage.
