Entire village relocated due to contaminated waters

It is three weeks since the worst floodings in recent times hit the country. The waters came from the Peten area in Guatemala, moved to southern Belize and continued across the country. Many communities have been picking up the pieces following tropical depressing sixteen. And in the village of Douglas, located in the Orange Walk District off the Northern Highway, waters from the Rio Hondo came down with full force and its over five hundred residents have been relocated due to threats of diseases. Today a News Five team found the village quiet and desolate. Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting
The entrance to Douglas Village is closed, cordoned off and guarded by two Belize Defence Force soldiers. Access the village is restricted since contaminated flood water prompted the National Emergency Management Organisation to quarantine the entire village.

Daniel Luna, Communication Officer, NEMO
“All the pit latrines that are in the area have overflowed and then, as we have been repeating and you have seen it now, the area is contaminated and that’s why then the quarantine.”

Marion Ali
“With the quarantine now imposed and the evacuation of the five hundred and forty-five residents, this is how Douglas Village now looks. And the only sounds are those of dogs barking and birds chirping.”

Van Marco Correa, Resident, Douglas Village
“We just came to record some of the scenes out here.”

Marion Ali
“Okay, but what are you doing barefoot in the area?”

Van Marco
“Can’t do better.”

Marion Ali
“That can get you sick, you know that right?”

Van Marco
“No, can’t get me sick.”

Marion Ali
“So everything in tact for you and your family? Your home, everything is in tact?”

Van Marco
“Yes, I live around the entrance of the village so I wasn’t affected.”

Marion Ali
“So did you get the sights and sounds that you were looking for?”

Van Marco
“Yeah.”

Marion Ali
“What did you hear?”

Van Marco
“Nothing, silence, only birds and dogs.”

While all the villagers were evacuated out of Douglas for health reasons, some could not take along their pets. So while they are not staying in the village, persons like Roland Elijio still return to feed the animals.

Roland Elijio, resident, Douglas Villager
“I just come through here to feed some dogs that I have behind that house, that’s it and I’m heading out back.”

Marion Ali
“How long have you been doing this?”

Roland Elijio
“Five or six days now.”

Marion Ali
“Okay, and you’ve found no symptoms of the … rashes or anything?”

Roland Elijio
“Rashes, I don’t have rashes just between toes, the last time when I was pulling out my things, I have some sores but I’m getting some medication from the nurses and doctor that come into the Community Center and I’m okay right now.”

Marion Ali
“Okay, so what about your animals, are they okay?”

Roland Elijio
“Just the dogs, they’re ok yes, I’m feeding them daily.”

But residents like Elijio must first get permission to re-enter the village.

Carlos Zetina, Chairman, Douglas Village
“Anybody that needs to go to the village will need to get a pass from the chairman, which is myself. So they need to check with me so I can give them a pass to go in the village unless it is necessary to take out their luggage or things like that, they won’t be allowed to go in the village.”

Chairman of Douglas Village, Carlos Zetina, who is also a teacher, has moved three miles away to San Pablo Village. That’s where the majority of the affected school children and their families have move to and are now attending classes.

Carlos Zetina
“We have a bus that picks us up at San Juan at seven-forty-five and we reach here around eight o’clock in the morning.”

Marion Ali
“In terms of the space and accommodation, how are you all coping with that?”

Carlos Zetina
“Right now we have good space. We have five classes, we have five teachers. All of the children are with their teachers and we are more or less comfortable.”

But while everyone who has left is comfortable, some pets back in Douglas are not. And that’s where another concern arises.

Marion Ali
“Speak to the issue please of these animals that have been left behind. If they die, it further contaminates the water again. So what are you guys doing to ensure that these animals are: one; not left to starve and to punish and two; that their deaths, if it occurs, do not add to the problem.”

Daniel Luna
“Ok, most of the animals that you see here, the owners come in to feed them but I see one or two that look kind of stray to me. I doubt if anybody takes care of them. They walk across the streets, they look tired. Anyways, I have gone to the different shelters and they have advised the people to be considerate to the animals and to come and look after them. They have a problem because there is a sign at the shelters that says no animals allowed to but I think that they can probably tie them up outside or something like that. But these animals have already been in the water, some of them. So in the case that any of these animals would die here. Right now that I go back I will ask that one; that they continue to come and feed them and give them water because they might be around here a lot of water. This water is not good. Feed them, give them water, and in the case if the animals would die, that they should take proper care to dispose of them.”

But while the flood water is contaminated, there is now good news to report and that is that the water is now slowly beginning to disappear.

Elodio Aragon, NEMO Coordinator, O.W.
“Latest information from yesterday evening is that the waters in San Antonio, San Roman, the waters are going down. The one at the new river, it has started to go down since two days ago. So we have already reached the height and we are going down so things are getting better.”

Marion Ali
“Getting better but still flooded.”

Elodio Aragon
“Getting better but still flooded, but for us here, we have been working nearly two weeks at this and then to know that we have reached the height of it now it’s going down, we feel good about it. The water will last a good while before it actually recedes to its normal stage but at this point today the committee feels very good.”

Flood victims will also feel good by the news, according to Orange Walk’s NEMO Coordinator, Elodio Aragon that Minister of NEMO, Melvin Hulse has pledged to help those victims regroup.

Elodio Aragon
“He said Mr. Aragon what you have to do, the job that NEMO has to do is to collect all the information, take pictures of every house, take down their names, take down the address, their children and everything. He said I will not be able to give them back everything that they had, I will not be able to relieve them of the pain that they had but one thing I will assure you Mr. Aragon, is that everything that they have lost; their radios, their mattresses, their goods in the houses, things that they need to repair their houses, I am making a pledge that every person that you all recommend that they have been affected, I will ensure that they get all these things back.”

While in the village, we observed Coat Guard presence ensuring the safety of properties. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.