Flood waters threaten communities of the Belize River Valley

The heavy rains may be over in the Cayo District, where millions of gallons of water flooded and ravaged the infrastructure in the district over the past weekend and yesterday, as the remnants of a depression in the region made its way across the west. Waters are slowly receding but the area is still under watch. And more rains are predicted in the northern coastal areas, which means that water levels will continue to rise as a low pressure system sweeps the area. Residents are unable to get out of their homes and some villages are virtually inaccessible. We go first to the Belize River Valley where communities are bracing for the projected rains and residents were moved to high ground throughout the day. News Five’s Marion Ali and a crew meandered through the valley and has this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting
Our ground tour of a portion of the Belize River Valley area took us first to Saint Paul’s Bank. The main concern villagers had was that the flood waters flowing upstream would cut off the only road access to the village.

Vincent Hanson, Resident, St. Paul’s Bank
“Noh wah get flood out yah. We deh far from di river, we noh wah get flood out yah. Water come to di back yah but ih no come no way high. Dis dah wah hill yoh si; ih noh look so but ih high. Ih noh wah come up yah.”

Marion Ali
“We’ve been to the river just now and it was swollen.”

Vincent Hanson
“Yeah, well water come up fast but ih only come to wah certain stage.”

Marion Ali
“So yoh noh di mek no plans fi move?”

Vincent Hanson
“Noh, noh, noh.”

Kathleen Thompson, Resident, St. Paul’s Bank
“Whenever time the river raise to that we get cut off from the road; not right from here but when we have to travel to Belize we get cut off because the road flooded and den yoh can’t pass. Yoh have to go transport inna dory to get over to the other side.”

Marion Ali
“So the river doesn’t really flood out the village?”

Kathleen Thompson
“No, not my village.”

Marion Ali
“But while the flood waters had not yet begun to take its toll on St Paul’s Bank, here in neighbouring Rancho Dolores the story was not the same.”

Paul Bradley’s home in Bermudian Landing has not been affected by the flood and this morning he packed up his truck and skiff and headed to Rancho Dolores to offer help to those who needed to cross the approach to the bridge, as he did with us.

Paul Bradley, Rancho Dolores Volunteer
“This morning I came here about seven-thirty, that dory was river all by the lamppost almost close to that coconut tree.”

Marion Ali
“So that’s about four hundred feet from here?”

Paul Bradley
“About and since then the water has come to where I’m standing right now.”

Marion Ali
“So it’s really rising fast.”

Paul Bradley
“That’s about four hours so the water to me ih look like ih raise like a foot or something like that every hour. We expect it to get worse. Right now I deh out yah di volunteer di help di people fi di rest ah di day inna di little dory or whatever I could help.”

We made our way straight from the river to Melissa Perez’ backdoor from Bradley’s skiff.

Melissa Perez, Resident, Rancho Dolores
“I never experience this before so I’m enjoying it. I’m not scared.”

Marion Ali
“I know last night you said you went to sleep the water was …”

Melissa Perez
“It was behind the septic tank back deh and this morning when we woke up it was right here.”

Marion Ali
“Right at your back door. So it’s rising really fast.”

Melissa Perez
“Yes it is.”

Marion Ali
“Do you have plans of evacuating if in case it gets higher?”

Melissa Perez
“Well, I think when night times come it’s not that safe to stay here because most of the time when we have flood like this big snakes come from all the way up there and by chance maybe one might come in.”

Marion Ali
“So where are you going?”

Melissa Perez
“I have a sister on higher ground to the back.”

Seven miles from Rancho is Lemonal, and there we found villagers trying to take their livestock to higher ground as the water from Spanish Creek had also begun to show its effects. Meanwhile, the village chairlady, Olive Banner, came to us the only way she could to talk to us, by canoe.

Olive Banner, Chairperson, Lemonal Village
“It’s very bad cause the river is rising rapidly and lots of families are evacuating by now.”

Marion Ali
“How many have?”

Olive Banner
“Three families so far but presently I will move but I will look at it before dark. This morning I think it rise about two feet.”

Marion Ali
“And it’s gonna get worse.”

Olive Banner
“Yes, I understand.”

Marion Ali
“Are your residents prepared?”

Olive Banner
“Yes, they are prepared. They are prepared. I am informing them to move to higher grounds and we have a shelter in the Pine Ridge so that’s where I know they’re going to be.”

And that’s exactly where we found Norman Smith and his family, at the St Luke’s Anglican Primary School in the village.

Norman Smith, Evacuee, Lemonal Village
“I live up the river and right now our house have water by the third step coming up.”

Marion Ali
“That normally happen when ih flood?”

Norman Smith
“No, it’s the first time I personally see it like that. It happened maybe some time before but I want living here at that time.”

Marion Ali
“Have you had to move out any of your belongings?”

Norman Smith
“Well, because the house is about six feet off the earth, I didn’t move anything out of it but actually water is under the house right now.”

Marion Ali
“So you got scared?”

Norman Smith
“Yes, definitely.”

Denfield Bood had not yet headed to the shelter, and was monitoring the creek before he decides what he and his family will do.

Denfield Bood, Resident, Lemonal Village
“Ih come up really fast, bout more dan wah foot.”

Marion Ali
“Okay, you have a plan incase it gets higher?”

Denfield Bood
“We have to move.”

Marion Ali
“Okay, where you going?”

Denfield Bood
“Inna di village dah di school.”

Marion Ali
“Have you ever seen it this high?”

Denfield Bood
“Yes, before when di hurricane mi come. First time fi thirty odd years, dis wah be di second.”

Marion Ali
“People along the river bank, are they taking heed as far as you know; your fellow villagers?”

Denfield Bood
“Well, sure everybody moving out; everybody preparing fi move.”

Marion Ali
“So dehn wah get higher.”

Denfield Bood
“Higher, yup. So really I think just everybody moving along fi come out.”

And if people like Bood who are in direct danger want to shelter at the school, School Principal, Marlin Muslar says there is more than enough space.

Marlin Muslar, Principal, St Luke’s Anglican Primary, Lemonal
“We only have Mr. Smith here so far but probably later on this evening we’ll get some more people.”

Marion Ali
“How much can you accommodate?”

Marlin Muslar
“Maybe ten families because we have three classrooms so we can share them.”

Marion Ali
“Have you been getting any help from NEMO, anybody coming in to check or do an assessment?”

Marlin Muslar
“Well, so far no. the only person I spoke with is Mrs. Young from Red Cross from Bermudian Landing and she said that she would get back later on today.”

Lemonal Village has also opened up the Anglican Church as a shelter. And if anyone has needed help, the Belize Coast Guard has been there to provide that assistance.

Lt. Cmdr. John Borland, Belize Coast Guard Service
“The waters have risen to a height that most of the roads are impassable and also because of the bridges in these communities and mostly in Belize River Valley. The Coastguard was deployed to assist in what we all cal relief activities but what we are doing today is assisting people in crossing the river and crossing the flooded roads so they can catch their transport to commute to work or to school or wherever their business is.”

Marion Ali
“Do you have enough resources, enough personnel and how many hours are you working for?”

Lt. Cmdr. John Borland
“Well the Coast Guard is stretched pretty thin right now for manpower, personnel and resources assets meaning our boats. We have seven boats deployed right now from as far west as San Ignacio and Bermudian Landing, Crooked Tree and St. Paul’s Bank. If I say we have enough resources, I would not be telling the truth. We definitely appreciate the assistance of the public, of the boaters or boating community. What we have been trying to do is solicit the support of other maritime government agencies who have been kind enough to place their assets under our command either to operate or just to put crew members on board and then they get out there and assist us in this effort. The vessels that are deployed to an area of operation is not just has a sole responsibility of working in a specific area. That vessel has to keep moving, has to get to people that are affected. So it may not be immediate, immediate response or effect but we will get to you before the situation worsens. It’s a gradual process. The water is not going up five feet in the night; it’s a gradual process so people must always be on the lookout, be prepared to work with the Coast Guard, work with the other maritime agencies that are supporting our us and we should get through this.”

Borland says crew members are assigned to seventy-two hour shifts but if the flooding gets worse then they will be rotated to work for longer periods. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.

Along the Northern Highway the picture is much the same. Water is rising in the village of Crooked Tree and residents are being asked to move to shelters for their own safety and more rains are forecasted.