Heavy rains bring end to dry season

It may not have been a hurricane that hit Belize today but the torrents of rain that pounded the city and other coastal areas sometimes made us wonder. While the headquarters of the weather bureau at Ladyville received little more than a sprinkle, the rain gauge at St. John’s College monitored by Father Deikman, recorded a whopping two point one-five inches; not a record but a sure sign that the 1998 dry season is over. All that water in such a short space of time provided a good test for recently completed road and drainage works in Belize City. While some newly improved thoroughfares like St. Thomas Street, Faber’s Road and Douglas Jones Street fared well, other perennial trouble spots like Prince Street, West Street and Cleghorn Street turned into temporary swimming pools. By the time the sunshine emerged this afternoon work crews were out clearing the blockages in the drains and by newstime most of the water was flowing… into the sea, river or canals.