NEMO, B.D.F. & Coast Guard Personnel Conduct Assessment in Belize Rural Central

Lionel Smith

Smith advises people in flood-prone areas to seek higher ground early and to consider their cattle and pets in the process. He also informed that assessment teams from the B.D.F., Coast Guard and NEMO were already out taking note of how the floods have impacted people in the Belize Rural Central area, but the preliminary report is that the most common needs are drinking water and food packs.

Lionel Smith, Belize Rural District Coordinator, NEMO

“It’s basically an assessment, so after the assessment is done, then we will definitely have a better idea what the needs of the people are that have been affected.”

Marion Ali

“Okay, but have you noticed any major interruption in people’s daily lives? Maybe a house fell or something got swept away?”

Lionel Smith

“In this area in Belize Rural, we haven’t gotten such reports as yet. It was only the flooding that kinda hampered some of the road movements, and that was in the Belize Central area, in Sibun or Gracie Rock, for instance.”

Marion Ali

“What are the most things that you find people need because of the flooding?”

Lionel Smith

“It will be basically – we’ll say humanitarian assistance, you know, water, food packs and maybe even mattresses.  We just want to advise people that if you see the water movement changes and water is coming up near your land or your homes, don’t wait to see how much will come or how far it will come. Try to get to higher grounds. We always encourage farmers to move their livestock and maybe have pets and stuff like that on harnesses, you take them off those harnesses and secure your personal belongings like documents and so on – things that always take a lengthy time to replace. So take your documents and your pets and move to higher ground.”