Jun 18, 2013

TD2 floods the south

Tropical Depression number two which made landfall on Belize on Monday afternoon has resulted in significant rainfall all across the country. But today all eyes were on the flood prone areas of Dangriga and surrounding communities. Because the path of TD2 was south of the country, the coastal and low lying areas that are already flood prone, became a danger zone because of the incessant downpour. This morning our news team found out that this tropical depression, which hit the south of Belize, is no exception to the rule. Mike Rudon has the story.

 

Mike Rudon, Reporting

The first signs of the impact of the heavy rains brought by TD Two were in Hope Creek, about six miles outside of Dangriga Town, where the ITVET was under water and the entrance to Mullins River was flooded. Houses on the roadside sat like islands in the stream, but while it looked severe, Geronimo Choc Jr. told us that the waters have actually gone down.

 

Geronimo Choc Jr., Hope Creek Resident

“Well yesterday it start all day; no hold up…right through—just constant raining not too hard. Then the water start to raise about maybe three o’clock yesterday. Last night it come about maybe four feet, five feet high then people have to move out from the back because back dehn soh dah more lower grounds.

 

Mike Rudon

“So this weh we deh di see right now dah the water done di go down?”

 

Geronimo Choc Jr.

“Yes water was all the way up there; flushed with the highway.”

 

Mike Rudon

“How long you live here?”

 

Geronimo Choc Jr.

“Bout four years. This dah the second flood I experience since I mi live here. The first one was when it mi gone fifteen feet high. This dah the second one I experience here.”

 

Mike Rudon

“Weh we di watch right now, how far this flooding extend dah back?”

 

Geronimo Choc Jr.

About a mile and a half all the way to the back. Then we got some houses weh go around so all the way back soh.”

 

Mike Rudon

“Soh all ah dehn people deh under water. How dehn get out to the front? How dehn get out to roadside?”

 

Geronimo Choc Jr.

“Well weh happen NEMO mi deh yah last night and dehn goen and evacuate them out, move them out.”

 

Mike Rudon

“So they have moved all the people weh mi deh under water back there?”

 

Geronimo Choc Jr.

“Yeah and ker dehn dah hurricane shelter dah back there by the school. Approximately wah lee seventy-five houses maybe.”

 

Mike Rudon

“I notice if nobody enjoyed it, the kids enjoy it.”

 

Geronimo Choc Jr.

“Oh yeah the kids dehn have a lot of fun because this noh usually happen, but the parents dehn deh right around the watch the eyes on them; dehn have to.”

 

And while that flooding was on the roadside, when we got to Sarawee the road was completely submerged and small vehicles were not being allowed to cross. Even for larger vehicles it was slow going as the flood waters swept over the Hummingbird Highway and into yards and homes on both sides. The situation got so bad that on Monday night some residents of Hope Creek and Sarawee had to be placed in shelters.

 

Gilbert Swazo, Mayor, Dangriga Town

“About eight o’clock last night, we then started getting words that the flooding will certainly be affecting villages like Hope Creek. And we know for a fact that once Hope Creek is impacted then it will be Sarawee then Dangriga Proper. It got to the point that it get so serious that we had to open one shelter in Hope Creek and subsequently we alerted and mobilized and opened another shelter in Sarawee. Up to this morning, we had sixty-nine persons in those two shelters including of the shelter management team which also included police and other public officers in both Sarawee and Hope Creek, respectively.”

 

The flooding was not restricted to those two communities. When we got to Dangriga Town there was water everywhere. In the Benguche area the floodwaters of the North Stann Creek River overflowed its banks, and in the New Site area there was virtually no dry land to be seen.

 

Gilbert Swazo

“There are three main zones or areas within Dangriga that are severely impacted by water. There is the Lakeland and the Rivas Estate, there is the Benguche and the Wagerali area and the one that in our view based on the ground assessment, the new site one and two is severely impacted. And that is evidence when you go on the Ramos road…that road is completely under water from the junction with Stanley Drive with Ecumenical going all the way west past Dellile. Dellile; that area is completely under water and then the several homes are under water in the new site area one and two. So that is the one that is really impacted.”

 

Greg Figueroa, Resident, New Site

“I live right around the curve, but it seems to me that we need some dorey because the areas di flood right now. I live back yah like three years ago.”

 

Mike Rudon

“You ever see flooding like this?”

 

Greg Figueroa

“This dah di first time. I noh know if dah the UNIBAM brings this flooding yah, I don’t know fi it is the vibes but things change cause I noh see wah flooding like this ever ina mi life.”

 

Mike Rudon

“So when we see yo again after this, yow ah deh ina dorey?”

 

Greg Figueroa

“Well when yo see me again, I wah deh ina skiff because I think dah skiff we need fi back ya or wah sailing boat.”

 

Mike Rudon

“So weh you deh, your house deh under water?”

 

Wilmer Carillo, Resident, New Site

“Yes everything deh under water.”

 

Mike Rudon

“When this start happen? When the water start raise like this so high?”

 

Wilmer Carillo

“From last night…from yesterday morning. Bed, everything wet up.”

 

Mike Rudon

“So basically dehn got a lot of things ina yo house weh get destroyed?”

 

Wilmer Carillo

“Everything, everything wet up.”

 

Mike Rudon

“So right now dah just fi hope that the waters go down?”

 

Wilmer Carillo

“Yes but it noh di go down. It di go up.”

 

NEMO’s Emergency Operations Center was up and running since Monday when the first advisory on the tropical depression was issued, and retired Major Mayor Gilbert Swazo, who chairs NEMO, says it will be operational until all threat is gone.

 

Gilbert Swazo

“The EOC continues to remain activated. We will not in any way deactivate until it is confirmed that the water is receded to a point that it won’t be of any risk to any of tho9se community or villages that are within the flood prone areas and are within the flood plain. And we know those areas based on the vulnerability assessments and the vulnerability maps.”

 

When we passed the raging waters at Sarawee heading back to the city this evening, the waters had already perceptibly receded. Mike Rudon for News Five.