More than a Dozen Families in Ridge Lagoon Estate Affected by Floodwaters
Today, we were out at the Ridge Lagoon Estate, a community just off the Boom/Hattieville Road that has been under water for days. More than half a dozen families have been affected; some voluntarily evacuated as floodwaters are up to three feet inside their homes, while others have installed temporary barriers to prevent the water from entering their houses. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Ridge Lagoon Estate – it is a small community named after a lagoon less than a half a mile from the Philip Goldson Highway on the Boom/Hattieville Road. For the past few weeks, water levels have been at an all time high as the effects of Hurricanes Eta and Iota were felt across the country. Various locations along the Boom/Hattieville circuit are under several feet of water and over the last few days, water rose high into houses at Ridge Lagoon Estate with the access road to the community under more than a foot of water.
Gina Smith
Gina Smith, Resident, Ridge Lagoon Estate
“The last time this happened was in 2008 and before that it was in 1998. These properties are normally high so it takes a natural disaster, a big one for this to happen. The Ridge Lagoon, what this neighbourhood is named after, is connected to the Belize River. So whatever water comes through the Belize River, it connects to the Ridge Lagoon and then there is a pond to the front here with a canal connecting both of those and whatever water comes from the river, it comes up here.”
About fifteen families have been affected and it is forecasted that the water levels are going to increase even higher over the next few days. For Natalie Rhaburn and her family water rose rather quickly; it is the first time that they are experiencing this phenomenon having resided in the area for some nine years now. They did not construct a concrete water barrier, but placed sandbags, which have not prevented the flood waters from entering into their house.
Natalie Rhaburn, Resident, Ridge Lagoon Estate
“From like a week ago, it started to raise and then today it is in the house. Yesterday was the faster and today, it deh ina di house now.”
Duane Moody
“Talk to us about it cause I am seeing that you have some sacks at the door as well.”
Natalie Rhaburn
“We di try with the sandbag to stop it, but it noh di work. Most of the residents dehn cement the front of the house and the back of the house fi make di water noh go in, but we didn’t do it. So we try the sandbag and the sandbag didn’t work.”
Gina Smith
“We plastered; I am not sure what the proper terminology is, but we put bricks and plastered everything in at our front doors and back doors, hoping that that would work better than sandbags. Other than that, there is not much that we can do, other than wait it out and hope for the best. I do hope that we don’t get ten more inches, but if that comes, then we just have to tough it out—help each other as a neighbourhood where really coming together and everyone trying to help each other as much as possible.”
Since the beginning of the week, residents have been parking their vehicles on the Boom/Hattieville Road, strap on their rubber boots and wade through the water to get to their properties. But there are also concerns about snakes and crocodile which Rhaburn says live in the area.
Natalie Rhaburn
Natalie Rhaburn
“We have to left all the vehicle out there and walk out and walk back in every day fi get out. In and out. We ever fraid fi gators because we have them in the neighbourhood. So far we noh see it yet, but we have them. We see them before so of course we are.”
Duane Moody
“Snakes?”
Natalie Rhaburn
“Of course, definitely we see them more than once; just killed one a few days ago.”
Now, the situation was compounded on Tuesday, when across from the residential community, Teichroeb and Sons Limited, also under several feet of water, was pumping floodwater from its property into a culvert that emptied the water into Ridge Lagoon Estates. It caused water levels to increase even higher. Before the end of the day, the matter was soon later resolved.
Gina Smith
“We are all humans; we are all trying to save our properties. In a time like this where they are flooding over there; we are flooding over here, we just kinda have to come together and communicate. Communication is a big key to it. The water was raising; it wasn’t expected from them. I spoke to them and it was never their intention to do any bad or do any harm. The minute that they realised the water was raising here, they turned off the pumps. And what they are doing is building a dam around their property to protect it from water coming from up north and from this side here. And right now everybody is just trying to protect their properties.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
