The rain in Spain may stay mainly in the plains - but in this city, the rain stays mainly in the drains!
That's because - in many areas - the drains just don't flow - either due to blockage or bad hydraulics.
And after two mornings of blistering rain in the city - so bad today that school had to be cancelled again - we wondered if the city is doing enough to keep the drains flowing. Courtney Menzies spoke to the mayor:
After this morning's rains, Belize City's streets were again in flood stage - even hours after the rain had stopped.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor Belize City
"We at our end continue to do our part in respect to the drainage. We have put in place a pumping station. The good thing here, what I see is that while the rain comes very extreme, the water doesn't stay long, if you have a dry spell, say for like 6-8 hours quickly, you see the water drain off. So that in a nutshell is as far as we can take it."
But areas like Berkley and Rivero streets have been stagnant for days residents say
Reporter
"Right now, Berkeley is a river and that's a very small street. You know, the drains are very small and streets in this area, drainage is a huge problem."
The mayor points to a deeper historic problem:
Bernard Wagner, Mayor Belize City
"I have my own view on the drainage system under that project, the initial project. I believe it was an infrastructural project way back, way back then where they enclose the drainage system in the city and have sidewalks built over the drains."
"That has created some of the issues and when you mix that with cement, concreting of streets and not having the ability to get under the manholes to really continue clear. We have the suction truck, but that cannot even alleviate all the clogging that occurs in those drains."
"We don't have the kind of runoff in Belize City. I have spoken to many engineers in the city who are really essentially told us, listen, if we are not below sea level, we are very close to it and so the runoff is very, very minute."
"And so we have to look at mechanisms such as pumping stations and that is why we have that pilot project in the Yabra area."
And while the mayor can conjure all kinds of hydraulic explanations- the fact is the drains need cleaning and it's his council's job to do it:
Bernard Wagner, Mayor Belize City
"We have to do a better job of course in in maintaining the drains. The people have to do a better jobs of maintaining their properties. At the national level we have to do a better job of coordinating efforts to really address climate change."
"I spoke to an expert right and the expert is telling me in the next 40 to 50 years Belize City will be facing if we don't put in the sort of mitigation and adaptation plan we will be under water."
And, for residents of some neighborhoods where the water just doesn't drain - that dismal future is already here.
