Yesterday we showed you the aftermath of floods from downtown San Ignacio to the still impassable Calla Creek Road. And tonight we'll bring you the story from the hard hit village of Succotz where two young mothers told us how the floods affected them and their families.
It was flooding as usual in the village of Succotz, only it was a bit more severe. And yesterday when our news team traveled the newly dried road to the village we spoke to Elena Ruiz who told us that for her, evacuation was never an option.
Elena Ruiz, Flood Victim
"It got flooded way to the first step. This whole house almost got covered with water."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Were you guys scared?"
Elena Ruiz, Flood Victim
"Yes at first my dad was scared because he was afraid that it would go in and we didn't have anywhere else to go. For me I was concerned because I have my little princess so yes, and I no have no where to go so it's a concern for me."
This is what the Mopan River looks like on a normal day
But yesterday when one neighbor allowed us to capture these scenes from her back porch the waters were far less peaceful and much more menacing.
And while it mostly receded to within it's banks water damage was not the only threat it posed.
Jaime Rivera, Flood Victim
"We're already used to it because the last flood it was the same thing but this time it was, the water was strong so it was hard for us to do something and we were afraid that it would reach to our house. They cut off our light because if it touches the water it would have exploded and short circuited and our house almost got burned the last time. We are Afraid of that."
"It was very very bad because we couldn't cross right, we had to go all the way there to my neighbor and it was hard for us to cross and we had no electricity and we have two babies and they couldn't sleep because they're used to electricity but like the water came all the way to my mother's little shop. She had to close and the water took all her things and it damaged it."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Did they cut off just electricity or water too?"
Jaime Rivera, Flood Victim
"Like the water it came off and it came back again, but we don't care about water because we have a tank. Electricity yes, because we use it a lot and like my baby she studies online so that's a big issue."
"The water was going up and up and up we would have climbed up the hill and we would have built something there just to let us stay."
Luckily or perhaps strategically the Rivera's had built their home high on this hill allowing them to escape the flood waters and the makeshift shelter that would have been a desperate plan B.
