Evacuation Operations Underway in Belize River Valley

Kenrick Thomas

Tonight, the Belize Coast Guard is carrying out rescue and relief efforts in the Belize River Valley Area. Officers have been deployed to the villages of Rancho de Dolores and Lemonal where the rivers and creeks continue to rapidly rise. Several persons have been evacuated and placed in shelters but the water continues to rise. Operations Officer for the Belize Coast Guard Lieutenant Kenrick Thomas shared details at this afternoon’s briefing.  

Lt. Kenrick Thomas, Operations Officer, Belize Coast Guard

“Presently the Coast Guard along with NEMO, the Belize Defence Force and the Belize Police Department, BATSUM and local partners are conducting evacuation operations within Rancho Dolores Village, Crooked Tree, Lemonal and also Burrell Boom. We are anticipating that these operations will then transition into humanitarian aid and disaster relief. We also have two vessels assigned to assist with this operation should they be called upon. The EOC was established at the NEMO office in Burrell Boom and we have Lieutenant Bellini on the ground who is coordinating and providing us with that information as the floods goes along. At this time I would like to advise the residents in these communities specifically those in Crooked Tree, Rancho Dolores and Lemonal to take heed in the advisories set out by NEMO and secure their valuables and do the necessary so that they can be evacuated at earliest.”