Douglas Village under quarantine

And now we turn to the flooding, effective today, all residents of Douglas Village in the Orange Walk District were evacuated due to the possible treat of feet fungi, viral infections, and other serious health risks posed by the flooding. In the village water levels, although stable at some points, are up to eight feet high and with the latrines of the villagers overflowed, there is mass contamination. As a result, the National Emergency Management Organization is instituting the quarantine to prevent any outbreaks. DEMO Coordinator in Orange Walk, Elodio Aragon, tells us about the organization’s concerns.

Elodio Aragon, Coordinator, DEMO Orange Walk
“Present to date, everyone, every inhabitant is out from Douglas Village. Everybody had to leave the village. The village is completely swamped with water at this moment. There is no one in the village and we have had to issue the notice for a quarantine of the area because people might just want to go back immediately or whatever or some might decide okay well I want I want to go back to my house and they will tend to go back. We want to tell them you cannot go there because though you might live in a high house, the water is all around you and the waters are infected and the reason for that is because the latrines in the village have all been flooded to the extent that right now if you would go to the place you would smell that the water isn’t smelling well because of that. We have a medical team that has been working in Douglas and they will continue to work there and after the waters recede, they will stay there to ensure that nothing like sickness takes place or cause an epidemic. The quarantine takes place today.”

Duane Moody
“Okay, when is it intended to finish more or less?”

Elodio Aragon
“It will take a long time because from my experience waters in Orange Walk take a long time to go. So waters receding back from Douglas in the whole area there will take probably a month if water starts going down. Water isn’t going down at the moment so I envision it will be like a month before the waters go back and after it goes back, people from Douglas still cannot go there because the muck will still be there. A medical team has to go in there and ensure that all the houses, the whole area is infected and things like that. Again, that will take a three weeks so I would be believe that it would be at least two months. They would be spending at least a two months out of their homes.”

Duane Moody
“So, no Christmas for them.”

Elodio Aragon
“Unfortunately, they will have Christmas but not Christmas at home.”

According to Aragon, B.D.F. soldiers will guarantee that the homes of the villagers are safe. The residents of Douglas will more than likely be able to return home in January of next year. Over the course of the past week, there have been serious health issues arising in the Belize River Valley where people have contracted feet infections and other illnesses from maneuvering through contaminated waters.