Earlier we showed you how most of the Zoo's habitats are intact it means that right about now, the animals are a lot better of than many people.
That's because the destruction of homes in the city and rural communities has been widespread. This morning our news team headed to Ladyville to see the toll of the damage there. Cherisse Halsall reports.
When the Courtenay family home at mile 7 on the Phillip Goldson Highway lost part of its roof it ended up clear across the highway and the river.
But that was just a preview of the widespread damage that hurricane Lisa did in Ladyville
STANDUP
"This is one of the worst examples we've seen of the utter devastation caused by hurricane Lisa."
"It's all that's left of what Ladyville resident David Spain says was a recently constructed house."
"He sheltered with his daughters during the storm but when it cleared this is all the home he had to come back to."
And this morning when we asked Spain, a maintenance worker at the Port Authority, what it's been like for him. He hardly knew where to begin.
David Spain, Lost Home to Lisa
"I don't know what to say. It came from this direction because I had my house braced from the front so it had to come from the back in order to dismantle from the front, you understand."
"I had expected that it was going to happen because due to the maximum of the winds, you know and I figured more of this -and that's what I discovered here. I wasn't pleased, because that's all I have."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Of course, how long had you been living here sir?"
David Spain, Lost Home to Lisa
"20 years."
Cherisse Halsall:
"And with all this stuff here on the ground are you even starting to think about re-building?"
David Spain, Lost Home to Lisa
"Well, I have to because I don't have any other alternative because this is my only place. This is all I have right so I have to do something."
"I would like some material right, first of all. I can build it myself you know but I need some materials."
And as tragic as David Spain's story his he's far from the only one in Ladyville currently experiencing hardship. Leon Humes is part of the domestic staff at BATSUB. He says he strapped his house down to hold it in place but after hours of being battered by wind it ultimately fell into the position you see here.
Leon Humes, Resident, Ladyville
"The last of the action brought down all the trees first dig. Well you done know nobody wants to leave their place like that to come and whether out the storm, check it out."
Cherisse Halsall:
"So, how did you whether the storm?"
Leon Humes, Resident, Ladyville
"Bwoy right in den spun around trying all kind of thing. It happened in the day. Feel that experience of your house breaking down, yes mean."
"Well you done know you can't always. Just beg for what you, or just dish out what you can dish out because you already know, you dig. I done know like what the man said you won't get to everybody right now. We might get yo you, you dig but it's when, you dig. So, before that you have to deal with what you can deal with on your own, you check, get a start first dig."
"Right now O don't know yet because I'm thinking about getting everything out first. Secure everything that you have."
Leon's wife Leticia was injured when the house crashed to the ground.
Leticia Humes, Leon's wife
"We were on the back veranda and I felt the back veranda sway but when it swayed I stepped inside at my back door because I felt that it was the veranda that was going to fall, and when I stepped inside my baby came to come inside and I pushed her back outside and I don't know what happened but I just felt everything crumble on top of me and everybody screamed when everything stopped it was just, we were on the ground back there everything. I didn't even look inside I just lifted myself up to make sure that. Everybody was okay and we came all of us in the vehicle."
"My cabinet in the kitchen is made from cement and so when all that crumbled all the walls folded in, the tiles broke off of it and that is what cut me this side and this side and when I fell between the boards, the boards scraped me. I have on my back because my. Back hit against the fridge and I got bruised. I have pain in my hip here."
"I JUST RUB IT WIT VIX stay rub it with vix at night because we are mostly here in the day trying to salvage what we can a place for us to call back home."
That's something that many in the city and the wider rural communities of the Belize district desperately want tonight.
But there are those who are lucky enough to have it.
We met this young man who told us that while his family's shop was damaged their home is intact.
And after saving his 8 dogs, multiple cats, and even more chickens in what was hurricane Lisa's veritable Noah's ark. They are grateful today for the lives of every member of their extended family.
Survivor
"Trees started to shake and when we heard that the wind was starting to blow hard the trees were shaking and leaning on the side, some of them started to drop down, all over there you can see all the trees dropped down."
"The house, the house didn't get damaged only the trees and some of the zincs."
Cherisse Halsall:
"This is your livelihood this snack shop that you have here?"
Survivor
"Yes, we had a little. Shop right here a little fruit shop and well but thanks to god not much damage. The breeze was blowing hard, strong and the trees looked like they were gonna drop in the above the house but thanks to god it didn't."
If you'd like to render assistance to these families you can reach out to the Humes at 627-6298 and to David Spain at 626-5806.
