Heavy rains cause flooding throughout city

On yesterday’s newscast we looked at problems caused by rain in the Belama Phase Four area of Belize City … but those obstacles were minor compared to the situation News Five’s Jacqueline Godwin found this morning following a night of heavy precipitation.

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Belize City was inundated after three inches of rainfall fell overnight over in the old capital alone. Many primary and secondary schools were closed.

There was nothing residents from the most affected areas could do but carefully wade through the flooded waters that at times were ankle deep. Drivers too had a difficult time manoeuvring their vehicles as drains and sidewalks were completely submerged.

At the municipal airport, planes remained grounded for most of the morning as the heavy rains and a high tide brought not only the water but lots of debris that covered the airstrip. When we arrived on the scene, employees from the local airlines and the National Fire Service were busy cleaning up the mess.

Glen Tillett, Acting
?When I came this morning there were waves breaking across the runway. As the tide started to reseed at eight twenty this morning, we were left with a lot of large pieces of debris, namely tree trunks, branches, etc.?

According to the Belize Weather Bureau, an area of disturbance situated east of the country mostly affected the south, the coast and especially Belize City. As the bad weather slowly moves across the country and with a cold front expected to stall to the north we should expect more rains for the next twelve to twenty-four hours.

Jacqueline Godwin for News Five.

The Belize Weather Bureau says other than the present disturbance there is no threat of tropical storm or hurricane in the Caribbean.