High tide on City Streets that are below sea level

Matthew was the third storm to threaten Belize for this year’s hurricane season. And similar to the previous storms, Alex in June and Karl earlier this month, the Jewel was again spared from major damages and loss of life and limb. Matthew is reported to have killed six people as it passed over Nicaragua and Honduras, with winds of up to fifty miles an hour. But by the time it reached our shores it had weakened to a Tropical Depression with only thirty-five mile per hour winds. The system dissipated over Southern Mexico on Sunday. While it didn’t turn out as gloomy as expected, the storm did come with heavy winds and rains in parts of the country. News Five’s Delahnie Bain has a look at the conditions in the city on Saturday.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

In Belize City, Tropical Storm Matthew made his presence known with heavy winds and enough rains to flood vulnerable areas. On Saturday, flights were grounded at the Municipal airstrip as the sea water level rose and inundated parts of the runway.

The B.T.L. Park seemed to merge with the sea and was completely flooded as the rough waters rushed onto shore. While the Marine Parade Boulevard is protected by the concrete wall, it also had its share of water accumulating as did Fort Street nearby.

Still along the sea, the Foreshore area was under several inches of water, but a few youths still made their way through on bicycles. Further down at Southern Foreshore, the water crashed violently over the seawall, causing more severe flooding at that end of the street.

Meanwhile, the Belize River also spilled onto land in the area of the Swing Bridge and North Front Street.  Other areas that were drenched included Regent Street and the connecting streets. Near the end of Regent Street, at the House of Culture, the water made its way right through to the entrance of the property. The scene was similar on the other main artery downtown, Albert Street, especially near the end which leads to Bird’s Isle Restaurant.

To sum it all up, it was a very wet Saturday morning, but by in the afternoon, a weakened Matthew moved on and the all clear was declared at around three o’clock. Delahnie Bain for News Five.