Late Reports from the Western Highway is that traffic is flowing freely.
The accumulated effect of three days of heavy rains caused flooding across the country today. In the past 48 hours, an average of 8 inches of rain have fallen in the Belize District, Northern Stann Creek and Northern Cayo. Floods have been reported in a number of villages, and Belmopan and Belize cities. The Rio Grande, Moho, Golden Stream and Deep River in Toledo are above flood levels as are the South and North Stann Creek Rivers. Heavy rains in the Orange Walk District today are now fuelling flood worries in that area.
7NEWS has been on the flooding story in the city and on the Western Highway today. We start at mile 46 on the Western Highway first which saw the only near-disaster of the day when a bus full of passengers was swept off the highway by raging currents.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
The roaring flood that swept across at mile 46 on the Western Highway pulled this James Bus loaded with passengers as well as this Citrus Growers Association cargo truck unto the road's embankment. They remained there, perched precariously for two hours until multiple pieces of heavy equipment hauled them away. Cruz Cambranes was driving the truck.
Cruz Cambranes,
"The water was about, I would say, maybe thirty inches deep and I thought I had enough weight in the truck to make it through but I followed the passenger bus and the both of us was washed away. I imagine at that moment the current was very strong. It's a good thing the truck did not turn over, it almost and I was very scared because I have a very expensive tractor in the truck which is something that I had just taken out of the garage, it was being repaired and I was going to the shrimp farm in Stann Creek."
But the weight was insufficient to hold the truck onto the road and at the end of it the truck and the bus were outdone by the ripping currents. Chief Engineer Cadet Henderson says this is to be expected under these conditions.
Cadet Henderson, Chief Engineer - Ministry of Works
"Don't underestimate the force of this water. The last time it flooded, an SVU with tourists had to be rescued a hundred feet away from the road. They took refuge on the roof of the vehicle and they almost their lives so it's nothing to play with or to experiment with. If we say don't come here, don't come."
Cruz Cambranes,
"Driving for so many years, I have been in deep water but not on a paved road. I imagine that this is something to do with the asphalt and just a dump road. I've been through very deep water and this never happened and this time I learnt something very very good."
Alfonso Noble,
Are you glad you made it out?
Cruz Cambranes,
"Yes. I am very glad that the truck, the little thing that happened could be fixed right away, but we had two very strong machines to take care of us."
While Castellanos was able to salvage the truck, and its cargo and is today able to smile about it, the bigger consideration now is the road itself.
Cadet Henderson,
"This is something happens, I'd say once every two to four years. We know it's the number one bottle neck area that actually stops traffic on the Western Highway. This year we've budgeted to install a bridge in the area. This is an area that discharges a significant run-off from Belmopan, I'd say in the order of 50% to 60% of it passes through Mount Pleasant Creek and so even though we have several multiple culverts, huge culverts at this location, in recent years they've proven to be inadequate so my proposal is to a 45 foot span bridge. Actually it's the beams from the salvaged Beaver Dam Bridge, that was two 45 foot span, single lane, so that's enough beams to create a 45 foot span, double lane, at this location. Its significant enough because it connects our capital city so we will give it priority this year."
But until that is done this scene: vehicles backed up for miles, commuters,
drivers, passengers stranded; diesel 4 by 4 vehicles going amphibious, pedestrians wading in currents, casual persons taking canoe rides on what is supposed to be solid land and heavy equipment being called in for road side rescue are scenes that be replayed.
For many today's bus and cargo truck adventure was the worst kind of deja vu, because in June of 2002 floods in the same area similarly dragged a bus off the highway which resulted in tourists having to be rescued from the raging flood waters. There's much more rain news coming up, in a few minutes we'll have the weather report and later on, Keith Swift will show you the effect flooding had on Belize City.
