And there are stories of desperation just like that all over Belize City and the Belize District. That's why this afternoon, Prime Minister Briceno held an Emergency Cabinet Meeting to launch the response to Lisa's wrath. He held a press conference immediately after to discuss the widespread damage that Hurricane Lisa left behind.
Here are his prepared remarks in which he announced that until the electricity grid has been restored, residents of the Belize District, minus Caye Caulker and San Pedro, will have to abide by a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for the next few days - starting tonight:
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"We just concluded an emergency meeting of Cabinet. The team from NEMO has provided us with a preliminary assessment of the damage as a result of Hurricane Lisa. Mr. Ronald Gordon, our Chief Met officer, confirmed that Lisa made landfall at 3:20 p.m., November 3rd, 10 miles south of Belize City. At the time Lisa made landfall, sustained winds were measured at 85 miles per hour. The weather station at the Weather Station at Municipal Airport recorded wind gusts of up to 95 miles per hour. I am pleased to report that no lives were lost due to the storm, which severely impacted the Belize District, specifically Belize City. Our preliminary assessment revealed that the greatest impacts were on residential homes, utility poles, agriculture, and some commercial infrastructure. Localized flooding occurred along coastal Belize City and into Ladyville, Vista del Mar, and surrounding neighborhoods. Currently, we have about 278 persons in shelters across the country, mostly in Belize City. In response to the current situation, we will need the cooperation of everyone, especially those in the affected areas. Rest assured, Government is responding to recovery efforts. Already, teams of workers are out in the affected areas assessing and addressing the urgent humanitarian assistance, including getting food and water to those most in need. 6 private contractors have already offered their equipment, free of cost, to help with the cleanup campaign in the Belize District. The Belize Defense Force, along with equipment from the municipal bodies, will be joining the Belize City Council to assist in the clean-up campaign of Belize City and some of the other affected rural communities. The Minister of Public Utilities has already informed Cabinet that water is back in most of the country, and electricity services will be fully restored countrywide by Sunday. They believe the City by the end of today, 50% of the city will be fully restored with electricity. Transportation services are coming back online and will be fully restored by tomorrow. To ensure the safety of life and property, we are instituting a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in Belize District, except for Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. This curfew will last until Sunday. All schools across the nation will return to regular classes on Monday, November 7th. Government employees are to report to work tomorrow, and all government services should be fully operational by Monday, November 7th."
As you heard, the PM says that the curfew is being implemented out of caution because certain parts of the Belize District - including parts of Belize City - are still without electricity.
