Ground saturated; more rain could bring floods
Depending on where you live, the rain has been coming down for the last four or five days. That may not be so unusual for late June … but with the ground saturated from Hondo to Sarstoon, there’s only one place for more water to go: that’s up.
Ramon Frutos, Weather Forecaster
?If the rains continue we will continue to experience localized flooding, pooling of water, especially where the drains are clogged. And where you do not have good drainage we will continue to get localized flooding. In the Belize City area that is a good example, in other municipalities they are experiencing the same problems, especially in low lying areas along the coast.?
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
In addition to the current area of disturbed weather an approaching tropical wave will also keep things very wet for a while longer. Weather forecaster Ramon Frutos says most of the heavy thunder storm and rainfall that is ahead of the system started affecting the country this morning and should continue over the next two days especially over central and southern Belize an area that is already saturated.
The heavy downpour quickly flooded many Belize City streets and other low lying areas like West Lake and Sunset Park at mile eight on the Western Highway. Those affected believe that blocked drains and a poorly engineered system is causing the problem.
Wilfred Flowers, Resident, West Lake
?If the drains were clean and free the water would flow and go straight to the front like it usually do. Then go straight down the line, but now the drains are stopped up. It?s not because we no have drains, it?s because the water is not flowing.?
Raphael O?Brien, Resident, West Lake
?Well basically we cannot even walk out here, when that happens because, like I said before, the water comes down. And when my ma and we go to the city my dad has to bring the vehicle all the way up to the mouth of the walkway so that we can walk out. You got kids out here running in the water because they think it is fun, but basically the water is contaminated.?
Frances Griffith, Resident, West Lake
?Really and truly we need some good drainage for mile eight. We need some good roads, the roads are in terrible, terrible condition, and so it would be nice if we had some kind of planner to come in and as it the mile eight community in getting good drainage and good roads.?
Rueben Morales, Resident, Sunset Park
?I am fearing that if the rains continue we will be having problems getting in and out on a daily basis, and that is not nice to think. You know, to think if when you are at work if you are going to be able to get home or if you are home if you will be able to get to work. I think one of the biggest problems we have in Belize is we have development areas, they call them so but they are not really developed. The infrastructure is not there when you are promised that. When they advertise they tell you we have light, we have this and we have that, but the problem is once the rains start the roads get impossible and it is a constant daily toil.?
But until that help arrives, residents living in prone flooded areas are being asked to be on the alert.
Ramon Frutos
?To continue to monitor the weather reports, for any flash flood situations that could develop tomorrow, if the tropical wave becomes more active than it is at the moment.?
As the tropical wave moves over Belize sometime tomorrow morning the inclement weather will continue, primarily in the Belize and Cayo districts.
