In Bze. City, residents up in arms with water and G.O.B.

Meanwhile, the National Met Service is predicting that the floodwaters making its way from the west will end up in Belize City in the next day or two. In anticipation of that, today the Belize City Emergency Committee issued a press release saying it stands ready to assist in evacuating resident from areas such as Belama phase, one, two and three and low lying areas behind the river such as the complex building on Mahogany Street and Jane Usher Boulevard. All Saints Primary and Gwen Lizarraga High School have also been designated as temporary shelters. This morning News Five took a ride around the city and found residents fed up with the water and governmental bodies. Kendra Griffith reports.

Kendra Griffith, Reporting
In the last nine days almost a foot of rain has been dumped in Belize City… turning several streets into shallow rivers.

Roy Robateau, Resident, York Street
“Here it’s always water. Di sky only blink or they only seh rain and di street start to flood.”

For the residents of York and Castle streets, wading through water is nothing new. Roy Robateau says he’s been coping with localized flooding for over half a century.

Roy Robateau
“From the time I was five years old, I used to live on Freetown Road, so we used to walk through the water. But Castle Street and York Street always have water. Now I am sixty-three and I live on York Street and I am still walking through water. We on Castle Street and York Street, we are very, very tired of this. Children and old people have to be walking in this water and then you have the sewer that bubble up and then children play in there.”

Residents were also sporting rubber boots in King’s Park as parts of Meighan Avenue and much of Gentle Avenue were flooded.

Samantha Myers, Resident Gentle
“Since yesterday the water has been rising up. If you look over there, that’s my house. Whenever it gets to that point the water goes inside.”

Kendra Griffith
“This is a usual occurrence for you?”

Samantha Reyes
“Yes, whenever it rains around here the water rises high. I don’t know if it’s just this street because other places are dry.”

Kendra Griffith
“How do you usually cope?”

Samantha Reyes
“We don’t like it, but we bail the water out and we keep living. It’s frustrating, very.”

Samantha Myer’s frustration is nothing compared to those of residents living in and around Jane Usher Boulevard… which had up to a foot of water in some areas.

Benmark Domingo, Resident, Jane Usher Boulevard
“I noh know weh they wah do because as you can see right now, you need a dory fi go dah back and my house, I live way dah back. All street everything flood right out. you got stuff weh do come inna the water, animals and them things weh noh really nice cause ih really unhealthy.”

Valdemar Varella, Resident, Jane Usher Boulevard
“This flood yah dah noh from now. This flood dah from every since. The least weh come down, this dah weh happen back yah to we. I have my business yah and people can’t even come buy in the shop.”

To protect his business from the waters, Valdemar Varella has had to put additional concrete in front of his doors. But whether northside or south, residents of these areas residents say they are tired of living with the flood and it seems neither the area rep nor mayor want to resolve the problem.

Valdemar Varella
“Yoh talk to di Mayor, di mayor seh dah di minister, di minister seh dah di mayor, so I noh know weh di go on. But dah them know have to decide what they wah do to the streets.”

Roy Robateau
“The City Council, former and present and the former administration and the present administration know that these streets flood. They have been around here, their campaigners have been around here, their representatives that want to get into politics have been passing through here, so they know! We expect water to be on the streets, yes. We expect the drains to clog, but if they raise streets or do whatever else they have to do, it will alleviate some of the problems that we have.”

Benmark Domingo
“They come ‘round, but they just promise. We noh deal with promise. We deh out yah and we know weh di happen. So when dehn seh dat nobody noh come. Dehn just come inna dehn high-tech vehicles and just drive through the spot right now.”

Serapia Martinez, Resident, JC Street
“Outta sight, outta mind.”

Valdemar Varella
“Noh even di city bus wah run back yah. Noh even the city bus. The man seh every time he put his bus back yah, it damage the bus, so you can’t the man either. Noh even my vehicle I put inna this water because it damage the vehicle. Right now the vehicle inna garage.”

And it’s not only the water that is damaging the vehicles. Massive potholes lay hidden under the waters and even where the streets are dry, the ride is anything but smooth.

We are not certain how long the vehicular bouncing will continue as our attempts to get an interview with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, or City Engineer were unsuccessful. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.