Much like Belama on the Northern Highway, the community of Sunset Park on the Western Highway ahs been under water for the better part of a week. There’s no easy solution, or maybe no solution at all for this water-logged, low-lying community. The water has been going down, but ever so slowly. We visited the community today to find Emma Santiago cleaning out her house and hoping for better.
Emma Santiago, Sunset Park Resident
“I think the worst is like back here because the water was up to our legs and then our kids in there were the ones that suffered more than us. Like I said my kitchen got damaged because it is a board house. Inside, the panelling, my bathroom, everything just get bad.
Living here is really bad. We are living tough, tough being in the water. I don’t know how to explain it, I really don’t know because like
you see the water, we can’t come out and then in the bathroom, we can’t use nothing.”
Jules Vasquez,
And what you do with your kids?
Emma Santiago,
“Well my kids are staying in Belize with my sister. Only me have to travel everyday, like I came this morning to come cleanup and then this evening I am going back to my sister.”
Jules Vasquez,
Is it driving you crazy?
Emma Santiago,
“Of course because you turn back and you see water all around, of course it is crazy. We just have to take it, it is God’s nature and we can’t do nothing. We just have to live like this and that’s it.”
Phillip Willoughby, CEMO Coordinator
“A lot of water Keith, a lot of damages, logistical support, in the
evenings we get a lot of flies, mosquitoes affecting the residents of the 8 miles area.”
Keith Swift,
People had to leave their homes?
Phillip Willoughby,
“Yes several persons were evacuated with our light duty truck. A lot of people relocated just to stay with friends and families elsewhere. They left their stuff, some took their household items and so forth and that is where we are at right now with the 8 miles community.”
Keith Swift,
How deep is the water right now?
Phillip Willoughby,
“I would say in some areas about one and a half feet to two feet. In some areas the water level has fallen about 8 inches but as we saw in some of the areas the water is pretty deep.”
Keith Swift,
It’s receding?
Phillip Willoughby,
“A little bit, I would say a little bit but again the water, there is quite a large quantity of water up in the Belize River Valley area. So while to us it may seem like it is receding, we will have to not lose track of the volume of water up there and continue to listening to advisories from the Met Office and Hydrologist.”
The condition on the Northern Highway continues to be completely unmanageable as it takes evening commuters heading north close to two hours to get from Belize City to Ladyville.
