B.T.L. tower drops on home and vehicle in Sittee
Earlier in the news we told you about the flood waters in Jordan Village. Tropical Depression Two made landfall in southern Belize near Monkey River on Monday evening and with it came a torrent that threatened to wash away crops and livestock in the area. For residents who sought refuge at the designated shelters, life has somewhat returned to the way things were prior to the passage of the storm. But, for Alma McDougal, who lives in Sittee River, TD2 has claimed her vehicle, as well as the verandah on her family home. Strong gusts associated with the weather system toppled a nearby transmission tower owned by Belize Telemedia Limited, causing extensive damages to the properties. In the wake of the incident, an assessment has been conducted and the company, according to Village Chairman Darren Ramirez, has agreed to foot the bill.
Via Phone: Darren Ramirez, Village Chairman, Sittee River
“We had a hard breeze that passed through the village which knocked down a B.T.L. tower. To my knowledge when I reached there, I saw the B.T.L. tower on top of a house which is nearby and it is on top of a car as well. And the extent of the damage…it was totaled when it comes to the framing work itself. But coming to the parts like the dish and stuff that were set on it, it is okay. That’s what I saw.”
Isani Cayetano
“…the extent of damages to the vehicle and house?”
Via Phone: Darren Ramirez
“To the vehicle, it was just the bonnet for the vehicle itself was bent it and I guess it damaged some part of the engine as well. And then the house itself, the verandah was torn all the way off because of the heaviness of the tower itself.”
Isani Cayetano
“Has anyone from B.T.L. come down to Sittee River to assess the damages to both the tower structure as well as the vehicle and the property?”
Via Phone: Darren Ramirez
“Yes, yesterday there was a quick response from the B.T.L. people themselves. They came over, they assessed what went wrong there and they told the lady that they were going to compensate her for the damage to the vehicle and repair of the verandah.”
Isani Cayetano
“Where was this resident at the time of this collapse?”
Via Phone: Darren Ramirez
“They were inside the house sleeping. This was, I get to understand around one o’clock or soh the night when that fell down. So they were sleeping and they didn’t even know that it was the antenna that fell down until the morning.”
Flooding has also been reported in Sittee River in the aftermath of TD2.
