Last night the Prime Minister declared the Corozal District a disaster area. The decision was made after an assessment which noted extensive damage to homes and the mass destruction of crops including papaya, mangoes, avocado, corn and sugar cane. A release says that financial assistance and disaster relief will be provided to them, as, “a matter of urgency.” But it can’t be urgent enough for families stuck in shelters whose homes have been destroyed and whose jobs went down with the papaya trees. Today, our 7NEWS team went north to discover what Gloria Gilharry, the Chairman of the Red Cross in Corozal characterized as a looming crisis.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
Are we risking a deepening human crisis here?
Gloria Gilharry, Corozal Red Cross
“Well I would say we are close to it, very very close to it. For what you know, what you hear everyone saying is they don’t have any money. we went yesterday to interview one person and they said they don’t have any money. They had a dead person in the family and couldn’t get any contact, no money not even to buy a phone card. So we are really in a crisis at this moment.”
Jules Vasquez,
You’ve been a lifetime resident of this area. Have you ever seen something so bad happen to the Corozal District?
Hon. Valdemar Castillo, Corozal North Area Rep.
“I have never seen this before. This really was kind of bad.”
And nowhere does that crisis seem more imminent than Chan Chen, the northern most village in Belize. 90 people, 34 families are stuck in these shelters because their homes, places like these, were destroyed, flattened in the storm. Moises Hall is the village council secretary.
Moises Hall, Chan Chen Village
“Most of them who are here don’t have anywhere to go. If you can see, the houses are totally and partially destroyed.”
Jules Vasquez,
So that tells me that this village was one of the hardest hit.
Moises Hall,
“Yes because if you can see, what’s here, it’s partially and almost totally destroyed.”
Jules Vasquez,
Are these shelters able to keep 90 people in there and reasonably well taken care of?
Moises Hall,
“Well I guess we will have to do it. That is the only shelter we have here. We have to do with what we have.”
Jules Vasquez,
What is your greatest need? What is the community’s greatest need?
Moises Hall,
“We need food, water, and we need at least plywood or zinc to help people to put back their houses.”
Jules Vasquez,
Are you in the shelter as well sir?
Moises Hall,
“No.”
Jules Vasquez,
Explain, these people have been living in Chan Chen, you have your little hurricane supplies, but those are about to finish. How do you all stand with food and water right now?
Moises Hall,
“Right now they just have for like three days and afterwards most of these people work for Fruta Bomba.”
And that means they have no jobs. These are Fruta Bomba papaya fields. All told, there are hundreds of thousands of acres in the Corozal District. About 60% of them are reported to have contained mature plants and those are irretrievably lost. Santiago Victorin is the manager of Fruta Bomba affiliate, Belize Fruit Packers. He says the damage is profound and far-reaching.
Santiago Victorin, Belize Fruit Packers
“Well I guess we will be out, guessing about four to five months out of production. Definitely we work hand in hand with Fruta Bomba who is the other company and I cannot speak on behalf of them but I know they suffered a lot of damage.”
Marion Ali, News 5
“How many employees do you have working here?”
Santiago Victorin,
“I have about 265 employees right now with us working.”
Jules Vasquez,
So those people will be jobless?
Santiago Victorin,
“I cannot say that. I will still have to make some meetings today. That is why my supervisor is here, he just came in from Miami. We will have a meeting later this evening and we will determine what will happen.”
Jules Vasquez,
Sir we know Fruta Bomba is the one that actually grows the fruit out in the fields and then they bring it here and it is packed here, however from what you know of the situation with Fruta Bomba, will you have any fruit to package within the next six months?
Santiago Victorin,
“I think I give and take about four to six (months) we will have some fruits.”
And while Fruta Bomba is reported to employ over 500 employees, nowhere is that news worse than in Chan Chen where Fruta Bomba is the major employer.
Gabriel Williams, Chan Chen Village
“We don’t have no jobs right now because Fruta Bomba is destroyed too so everybody needs a job. Who says they don’t need anything, that means they have too much.”
Today the shelter got some relief from the Red Cross. And while they were grateful, blankets, pots, and empty water containers are not the priority. Food and water are.
Jules Vasquez,
Is this a sort of frightening time for you all?
Moises Hall,
“Right now we are not frightened but in a month or two if the government, or if we don’t receive any help from outside, what will happen is we’ll suffer hunger.”
Gabriel Williams,
“I worry because I need help like some zinc or wood or something like that, food for at least a week.”
Hon. Valdemar Castillo,
“What has happened is that some of the people who are in the hurricane shelters, they have come out and they are trying to improve their houses, like doing patching and things like that but yet they need food. But because they are not in the shelter, the officer in charge of food distribution, kind of overlooks them. We are remedying the situation.
My focus really will begin alleviating those people who are homeless. Let’s try and get somewhere where they can go. For example at the moment, we have people in hurricane shelters but some of these shelters are schools and school should be reopening Monday. So we have to accommodate these people somewhere. So what we are thinking at the moment is trying to get the BDF and the government really to come out with some tents. We want to give families that have been affected a tent to be at their premises.”
And until meaningful relief and supports come, these villagers will continue to live day to day.