Lemonal villagers experience full brunt of floods

Elsewhere in the Belize District, the News Five team headed to one of the villages most affected by the flood. Lemonal has felt the full brunt of the waters and villagers are finding ways to cope. Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting
Our entry into Lemonal Village changed slightly from Tuesday because today we had to be ferried in by motor boat for half a mile down the roadway. Once across the approach to the bridge, we observed some changes in just a matter of days. Cyril Banner was building two sheds on higher ground by the riverside to safeguard his animals.

Cyril Banner, Resident, Lemonal Village
“Flood tek di place weh dehn used to rest. Ih tek di whole ah di pasture area.”

Marion Ali
“So yoh come out dis side right near di bridge?”

Cyril Banner
“Right near di bridge, yes.”

Marion Ali
“You’re constructing new shelter for them?”

Cyril Banner
“Yes.”

Marion Ali
“How long you expect to have them here?”

Cyril Banner
“It will just be little bit over a month. Den dehn noh have no feed so dehn still wah have to stay out maybe wah three four months before dehn could get feeding again because den di grass dead out, clean ground only.”

Marion Ali
“So weh yoh wah feed dehn with?”

Cyril Banner
“Well, I have to goh and find grass. I plant some grass but I believe dehn deh under water too but di top of it wah good. I wah could cut some ah dat fi dehn. I have three different kind ah grass weh I could feed dehn with.”

Marion Ali
“But you noh lose no animals yet?”

Cyril Banner
“No, I noh loss none as yet. Yesterday I mi have to ker some horse out by Pine Ridge go let dehn go because dehn noh have no feeding round and round right now.”

Aside from the inconveniences the flood has been causing in the village, there have also been sightings of poisonous snakes and crocodiles. A fer-de-lance paid a house call on Delia Crawford and her family this week.

Delia Crawford, Resident, Lemonal Village
“I left my baby and my next gial wid my mother-in-law upstairs and wen I come back dehn seh wah snake deh under my house but den my mother-in-law couldn’t come and see it because she sick. Wen I come home and I look fi di snake I find it pan my baby bed and I send two ah my daughter cross so fi gone hail two ah mi friend and dehn come and dehn kill di snake. If dehn neva find dat deh snake, I neva mi wah sleep inna dis yah house fi sure.”

Marion Ali
“Weh kind ah snake?”

Delia Crawford
“House Tommy Goff.”

Marion Ali
“Weh dah wah house Tommy Goff?”

Delia Crawford
“Wah snake weh dehn seh travel only dah night but dah wah dangerous snake.”

Marion Ali
“First time you’ve had such and occurrence?”

Delia Crawford
“First time.”

Marion Ali
“And this happened as a result of the high floods right?”

Delia Crawford
“Yeah, mussy di look fi dry so ih happen fi come inna my house. Wi jus have to watch round fi see wen wi goh dah bed noh. I noh know if anymore wah come in yah. Maybe dat dah di only one weh di pass by and ih stop in.”

But poisonous snakes are not the kind visitor Rural Health Nurse, Anna Quiroz, Village Chairlady, Olive Banner and Cyril Banner advise to have around.

Anna Quiroz, Rural Health Nurse
“Because of the rising water all animals that live in the water could swim through their house so they have to be careful. A lot of people don’t want to come out of their house. They are still staying in their house that is under water and that is very dangerous. So we’re telling all the villagers that they need to take precautions and try not to stay in the water.”

Cyril Banner
“Deh like noise because dehn feed by noise. Dehn go by sound and anytime ih yer wah sound he deh right round and ih notice when he could mek di opportunity and take a hold on yoh.”

Marion Ali
“So people need to be careful.”

Cyril Banner
“Be very careful. I di tell yoh, yoh have to be careful.”

Olive Banner, Chairlady, Lemonal Village
“Watch carefully about the snakes because they are looking for dry grounds and they are all surrounded by water. The houses are surrounded by water so be careful and make the children stop playing in the waters.”

And because people have had to deal with the contaminated water, the Saint Luke’s Anglican Primary was opened as a medical centre to treat people who had become ill by the flood waters.

Anna Quiroz
“We had received a report that there was an outbreak of diarrhoea in Lemonal but since we have been here we haven’t seen any case and we don’t know if any other body have it but they haven’t come up yet with it.”

Marion Ali
“So what have you been treating people with?”

Anna Quiroz
“Mostly athletes foot which is water itch because of the water, a lot of flu cases.”

Marion Ali
“Okay, any insect bites, any animal bites?”

Anna Quiroz
“Well, we have one, one people with rash, some sores and stuff right so it’s not much. out in Rancho yes, we did have a lot of case of the flu and a lot of athletes foot, sores, bites.”

Senior Public Health Inspector, Mark Bernard was also doing health assessments in the village.

Mark Bernard, Senior Public Health Officer
“We’re looking to see if there are any water borne illnesses, any food borne outbreak. The nurses, they are looking for anybody sick with rashes, itches and stuff from kids and even adults walking in the contaminated water and also advising people how to treat the water. We have tablets to give them depending on the capacity of the vats. So we are looking to assess what is happening and advise people to be safe.”

Marion Ali
“So right now the river water is contaminated but if they can’t do better and if you give them that tablet and they drop it in there, that’s safe?”

Mark Bernard
“if you cannot do better, then that’s your alternative but normally what we do with the water is to get an amount, let it settle, measure it to the five gallons and at least pour four into it, let it settle and then it’s good to drink.”

In Flowers Bank flood waters were rushing over the culvert leading into the village and also over a portion of the road. But that was the only effects the flood has had on the village so far, as the village’s Assistant Secretary told us and that’s because the land there is high.

Shedrack Hendy, Asst. Sec., Flowers Bank Village Council
“The road flooded, impassable to people and this dah di way pan di bicycle we get wi provisions from out there. basically, di village itself, the river is high, the backwater is visible but den noh really di meet each other fi seh ih di affect di people noh.”

Residents of the flood stricken areas say the last time they’ve seen a flood this high was exactly ten years ago this month when Hurricane Mitch struck just south of Belize. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.