Tonight, Belize is all clear from Hurricane NANA, but, last night, as curfew hours set in and the rain started to fall the City was bracing itself for the storm, which never quite came. Our team was on the waterfront and here's what we saw:
We're here on the southern foreshore of Belize City where a harsh drizzle has started. The storm is about 70 miles east southeast of here and is expected to make landfall in four to five hours. Conditions are expected to deteriorate by then and what is uncertain is whether or not it will be a hurricane when it makes landfall.
As you can see the waves are starting to kick up here and while they're rough right now they were much worse back during hurricane Richard when the water washed completely over this sea wall. This hurricane should make landfall in four to five hours.
We're here on the seafront near the hanger area where the winds have intensified and as you can see this surf is really starting to pick up. The storm is still about 70 miles off the coast and by the time it makes landfall conditions are expected to have really deteriorated. 00:22
Two hours later, at the same location, there was even more wave energy, a rapid succession of swells rolling in, crashing into the seawall. That combined with a high tide swallowed the street completely. And while that was on the ground…
Up above, the tall coconut trees weren't just swaying, they were keeling, almost bowing in the 30 - 40 mile an hour winds.
This is the kind of weather police had to be patrolling in.
But, by midnight in the city - the gusts and the bad weather had peaked - and those trees that had been straining earlier were back to a calm sway by 1:00 am.
And this morning, nature simply washed all that windblown abuse away and gave way to a a bright and clear daybreak - the rugged coastline renewed.
