Will Tropical Storm or Hurricane Richard pass through Belize?

So far this year we have been spared, but a tropical storm churning in the Western Caribbean could potentially spell trouble for the country. Tropical Storm Richard is displaying the same troubling pattern as Hurricane Mitch that loomed in front of Belize for days in 1999. Mitch didn’t directly hit Belize but it caused enough damages which took years to recover from. At news time it is forecasted that Richard will become a hurricane by Sunday, worst yet, it’s currently on a direct path to Belize. At six o’clock this evening, the storm was moving at five miles per hour with winds of over forty-five miles per hour. Richard is hovering in front of the Honduras/Nicaragua border some four hundred and forty miles east of Belize City. If it continues on this path, it is expected to rip through Belize early Monday morning as a strong category one hurricane with winds of up to eighty miles an hour. The entire nation is under watch at this time. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting

At three o’clock this afternoon the plain red flag was hoisted, signifying the first alert in anticipation of Tropical Storm Richard.  Richard’s projected path has it crossing over Belize early Monday morning as a category one hurricane.

Dennis Gonguez, Chief Meteorologist

“The earlier track forecasts took it north of Belize into Mexico, however, the consensus of all the models now is that this system will impact Belize some way or the other. All of them are pointing through Belize and the tropical storm force winds extend a hundred and five miles out from the centre.  So that’s almost our entire coastline, so whichever of Belize it might make landfall, it might have impact on the entire coastline.”

Marion Ali

“What is the worse-case scenario now?”

dennis gonguez

Dennis Gonguez

“A category one going directly through Belize City.”

With this latest development, the National Emergency Management Organization is asking party fans and all Belizeans on a whole to include the airwaves a part of their weekend agenda as the storm inches closer to land. Richard poses the most serious threat to Belize this year.  In the meantime, NEMO Coordinator, Noreen Fairweather, says coordinators countrywide are already on high alert.

Noreen Fairweather, Coordinator, NEMO

“All systems are in place, they have received this brief already in terms of what the storm is doing and all our contacts in terms of folks that look at transportation, the bus people, the people with boats, you name it, whatever it is that we need out there to mobilize people or to evacuate people are redoing those contacts again, ensuring that everybody that is part of the team and support the NEMO operations is alert and ready.”

Noreen fairweather

Fairweather says in the event the storm hits Belize, NEMO has pre-positioned supplies at its warehouses across the country in case there is a need for distribution to affected people.

Noreen Fairweather

“We have supplies on hand and we do have additional arrangements with the good and supplies providers in country in the event we need to tap into that over the long term, then those persons are there as well to give us that support.”

While NEMO focuses on a more national approach, the northern coastal municipalities in most danger of Richard’s wrath, Belize and Corozal, are already in action.  Here in Belize City, the City Emergency Management Organization advises residents to be responsible when they go to the shelters.

roger espejo

Roger Espejo, CEMO Coordinator

“People have to be ready in terms of supplies for two to three days if it does come down to that and that is something very mundane something relatively easy to do. CEMO arranges logistics. CEMO opens shelters if needs be. In terms of supplies, if supplies are necessary. If the weather develops after three days and it comes on shore again and it gets out of hand and it becomes a larger storm, then CEMO does have a backup plan, absolutely.”

But just in the event you would still like to venture elsewhere away from home to weather the storm, NEMO urges all to move early so as to avoid a bottleneck on the roadways.  Marion Ali for News Five.

The shelters in Belize City are: All Saints Primary, Grace Primary, Queen’s Square Primary, Salvation Army Primary, St. Ignatius Primary, St. John Vianney Primary, St. Martin de Porres Primary, Trinity Methodist Primary, Maud Williams High, Gwen Liz High, and Pallotti High. The shelters are capable of withstanding a storm with the strength of category two force winds.