An estimated 10 inches of rain fell on Belize City yesterday as a tropical wave mushroomed over the central part of the country. Record rainfall that the one day total saw 3 inches more rain than the previous record for the entire month of August. Last night we showed you how central areas of the city were inundated by floodwaters. As expected, those waters have receded. But what we didn’t show you were the areas hardest hit, Jane Usher Boulevard on the southside and Belama on the northside. Many residents in those areas are still living in water and today we checked on them.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Most parts of the Jane Usher Boulevard area remained submerged under flood waters today. In some areas – it was knee deep and - and most streets resembled rivers. Latania Gonguez’s home was this morning still under water. We can’t show you inside it because we had to interview her through the window of our pickup. We did that because we were trapped inside by the floodwaters.
Latania Gonguez, Flooded Out
“This is the first time I ever saw it get flooded like this, both on the right and left hand side. I lvie on this side and we don’t usually get water and yesterday with that rain and everything, my whole house was floating. I tell you, everything in my house was actually floating and I think that is caused by the spitefulness with those people and this Carnival thing because they closed up the drainage back there where all the water usually ran out and it isn’t right because I don’t know what to say but that dah ‘lone folly.”
Debbie Peters also had to trudge through the flood waters to speak to us.
Debbie Peters, Flooded Out
“Not like this. We get flood but not this bad. This is the first time, the whole place is under water. Everything get wet.”
Another man grappling with the floodwater is Hezekiah Shield who owns a snack shop on Jane Usher Boulevard. He says its like he’s living on an island.
Hezekiah Shield, Flooded Out
“This is the first time the water ever get so high because I don’t get any business, the kids can’t come out, everything is wet up, you can’t go anywhere. Right now water is all about, on the back street, front street, you go out there, you have to be careful where you send the kids because the water is so deep they could drowned in there.”
But apart from being terribly inconvenient, the flooding behind the Jane Usher
Boulevard area is also dangerous. This is a baby crocodile which was capture don the street. The baby croc was very alive and it was caught by 17-year-old Errol Middleton who says this small croc is nothing. He’s seen and wrestled with larger ones.
Keith Swift,
When did you catch this?
Errol Middleton, Caught Baby Croc
“This morning in the water in front of my friend’s house, in front of his house, in front of the gate.”
Keith Swift,
You were telling me earlier that you’ve caught much bigger crocodiles.
Errol Middleton,
“Yeah a bigger one like the height of him.”
Keith Swift,
Aren’t you afraid?
Errol Middleton,
“Not really, only sometimes.”
Flooding wasn’t limited to Jane Usher Boulevard. This is Belama phase 3 where residents had to roll up their pants and wade through waters which reached
these men at their knees. The flood waters kept Francis Garbutt home from work.
Francis Garbutt, Belama Resident
“Actually I was supposed to be at work today but I had to come home. My house was flooded with water and I jumped out of the truck and jumped right into the water. It will get me sick and all kind of things. Basically it is the entrance right here. That is the worse part. As a little rain, right at the entrance here is full of water and then when you get to the back it is kind of high but everybody has to leave and come home through the same area and it always floods and they seem to want to do nothing about it.”
The news was much worse for Rose Bodden. Her home is completely flooded and she had to evacuate to a neighbors home.
Rose Bodden, Belama Resident
“My house is entirely flooded and the water is still inside and it surrounded so we have to evacuate from here. We are just staying at one of the neighbor’s house temporarily. We don’t know where we’re going from here. Most of the things inside the house is completely wet and destroyed because water damaged a lot of things and so I don’t know what will happen to us. We have been complaining for about ten years and nothing has been done and I think if they had put a culvert over that side maybe where the water could have gone through, maybe I would not wreck like this. But most of the time I am the one behind here who is always getting most of the damage and every time we pay our property tax and everything and nobody comes out here to assist us.”
And while that’s in the city, NEMO warns that the levels in the Rio Hondo and New River will continue to rise slowly and that it could affect homes in Caledonia Village. The Moho River is still flooded and so is the North Stann Creek – which should return to normal level tomorrow. According to NEMO there is no threat of flooding in the Macal and Mopan Rivers. Flood levels in the Sibun River along Gracie Rock and Freetown should peak tomorrow morning and start receding after.
Another effect of the storm is lightning, and this morning at 4:25, a strike at BEL’s West Lake station caused outages to San Ignacio, Belmopan, Dangriga, Independence, Punta Gorda and communities along the Northern and Western Highway.
