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Tonight, Hurricane Beryl is moving unto the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula - it is expected to make landfall near Cozumel in the next 8 to 12 hours. The storm is strengthening once again and could make landfall as a category three storm.
Belize remains under Tropical Storm Watch from the Belize to Corozal Districts and is not expected to be significantly affected by the storm because it is making landfall well north of the border.
But, Corozal is still ready for the worst. We're joined tonight live by Jomarie Lanza who is in her hometown.Jo - what's it looking like out there?:
Jo: Well, Indira, we're here at the…. and it looks….
Earlier today I spoke to the mayor, the district coordinator and townspeople, here's what we learned:
Last weekend's heavy showers in the north were taken as previews of possible coming attractions, and that intuition was confirmed when Beryl appeared on Sunday as the first Category 4 storm ever in the Atlantic Ocean in the month of June.
Up to yesterday, the historic storm's "cone of probability" included northern Belize and the mayor of Corozal Town says that they've taken it very serious and are prepared for whatever may come.
Rigo Vellos, Mayor, Corozal Town
"Well actually what we have been doing is working very close together with NEMO based on their advice also but the support we have been giving to our town is ensuring that our drainage system is working, as best as possible. As we speak our guys are still on the ground, our offices are closed today but when it comes to sanitations and operations department they are still working out there working ensuring that the drains are kept clean, thank god in a way that we had all this rain that fell on Coroza over the weekend in gave us that little knowledge on where we need to improve because of the flooding. So based on that we acted over the past couple of days and targeted those areas or those drains to ensure that water can flow very easily, I know it's not and we are not expecting a hurricane to hit us, it seems that it might be very minimal but regardless we want to be prepared as much as possible. We are very aware that we also have low lying areas where flooding will happen no matters what especially with the ground being saturated with all the rain that we had gotten before so we are looking into that and we are trying to find other mechanisms to see how we can alleviate the flooding issues that we might have over the town."
The Flood prone areas, Chula Vista, Olga Marin drive, Joseito and Halls layout, are the main areas of concern In addition to the south end and select neighborhoods in the middle of town.
While the hurricane hustle and bustle seems to have eased this morning, as citizens continue to do their last minute shopping and house prep, the mayor says that townspeople should not take these things lightly, even if it means relocating temporarily.
Rigo Vellos, Mayor, Corozal Town
"We should take it serious but we should not panic, we need to work very close together with our people and people need to work very close together with us. At the end of the day it is our own responsibility as individuals to ensure that you keep safety as a priority and hence the reason why I keep telling people if you know that you live at a low lying area don't put your family at risk. Whenever NEMO calls or gives a green light for shelters to open and to move into the shelters don't take this for granted. Not because it's not a hurricane means it can't be something major we need to remember that the ground is already saturated and any little rain will cause flooding right now. So don't take that risk and move into shelters if you know you have to or even if you have the slightest doubt that you can survive through whatever rains falls. Move into the shelters and be responsible once you get into those shelters because the shelters are there for you and NEMO is trying to see how they can help as much people with shelters."
DEMO in Corozal fully activated its team on Monday night, and since then they have been preparing all 17 of its shelters spread out across the town and its surrounding villages.
Ronnie Hernandez, District Coordinator
"I requested for my entire EOC to be with us on the ground, so for Corozal the zone 1 and zone 2 shelters, we have a listing of 17 of them, the EOC itself is fully prepared and we have the vice chairperson with us and the chairperson which is mainly the mayor and we have our honorable Florencio Marin that is with us to and the different operational committees. So forth we have received 18 shelters that have been prepared if it need to open shelter we will do so but based on the press release at the national level that the MET service is giving us that the system is going more up north we might be impacted and nevertheless with rains but if it needs for these same villages to open shelter we do have the shelter managements and wardens, consisting of public officers and volunteers to do so."
Though the shelter list has not yet been disclosed Hernandez says that they are more than ready in the event that things take an unexpected turn, and they begin to receive those calls for evacuation.
Ronnie Hernandez, District Coordinator
"We must at all times be prepared so we are expecting a worse case scenario and we are prepared for a worse case scenario nevertheless like you said the MET service has advised us and we are seeing the trajectory go more up north so the accumulated rainfall which we are expecting, based on the MET service I would say one two or three four inches of rainfall here in the Corozal district. Nevertheless we do have like I mentioned the shelters are readily available if needed to be open and people need to shelter and stay safe."
So how is everyone staying safe in the North? We asked townspeople what their hurricane prep is looking like hours before we begin to feel any of Beryl's potential impacts.
Local:
"Well how I am preparing for this hurricane well I just want my people and my Belizean people to know to keep it cool and to stay steady and give praise to the most high and not to worry. Have to give praise to the most high do you know why? Because the father says in Mathew 24 he says that all these things have to take place."
Local:
"I done prepare up and thing I buy a some small stuff for the kitchen and stuff. Did some nailing on the glass window and that's it."
"You the follow the updates?"
"Yeah. I see it done shift off and thing so I'm not really worrying about nothing like that right now, yeah when it was coming straight to us and so then yes. But it looks like nothing will happen and it's going more by Cancun areas."
"Well we done the get all set up only this was left to buy but we will stay at home and there we will wait for it."
"You the follow the updates?"
Local:
"Yes"
"And you're not scared?"
"No"
"So you and your family ready"
"We are ready"
Local:
"All I want to say is to just not be afraid of this hurricane cause it won't get here it will bypass us. It won't reach to Corozal yeah. That's all I got to say man."
"You done prepare?"
"Well I done prepare I got all my groceries and everything prepared in my yard I already put board on my windows and everything we are ready for it if it comes you know. So everybody take care and have a nice time."
And tonight that's what townspeople are still saying, they are ready for whatever comes. And, with the storm 8 - 12 hours away from landfall around Cozumel - we'll know soon enough if those preparations were sufficient or needed at all… Back to you, Indira
Thanks Jo - keep us posted - and we'll be having live reports from Corozal town all through the night on Channel 7 and our Facebook page.
