The next stop in our coverage is in the south. Damage to property was not as stark in Dangriga but residents bunkered down either at home or in shelters. The streets were desolate as the torrential rains poured down for more than six hours. But in Gales Point Manatee it was different story as the […]
We have told you about the drama and devastation caused by the category one hurricane. It’s substantive but to get a measure of what really went down, News Five headed to Belmopan for a press conference at the NEMO headquarters. Seated at the head table were the NEMO Minister Melvin Hulse, Coordinator Noreen Fairweather, Chief […]
According to NEMO Coordinator, Noreen Fairweather, the preliminary assessment got underway with aerial reconnaissance and terrestrial teams in affected areas. The preliminary figures are at thirty-three point eight million dollars. That figure is on the low side but Fairweather says it does not take into account the tourism industry or the impact due to the […]
Everyone agrees that Richard was quite a storm. Although the mood at NEMO headquarters was celebratory because it could have been far worse, Minister of NEMO Melvin Hulse was surprisingly quite stern. Hulse spoke of the coordinated effort and the fact that lives could have been lost because many people did not heed the […]
Most of the country still remains without power. Cities, towns and villages across the country lost power shortly after five on Sunday evening as Hurricane Richard made landfall near central Belize. It’s now twenty-four hours later and electricity is yet to be restored in areas in the central, western and southern districts. And according to […]
In times of hurricanes, we have come to rely on the Belize Red Cross. Earlier today we found the organization in full disaster management mode. Over a hundred teams have been deployed to assist families affected by the storm. With membership on the NEMO Executive team, the Red Cross is represented at both national and […]
And while Richard left our shores, it is going to take a while before the lives of those affected will return to normalcy. To help the many thousands in Belize City, the City Emergency Management Organization, CEMO, is making first assessments and disbursements, but is also relying on NEMO. Chairperson of CEMO, Mayor Zenaida Moya […]
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 […]
NEMO has issued the following advisory: If you were planning to go to the Cayes and along the Coast this weekend you are advised to cancel your trip. If you are at Sea – seek safe harbor. If you have to evacuate do so early. If you are going to a Shelter take along those […]
As we reported at the top of the newscast, a weather system is heading our way. Tropical Storm Richard is the fourth storm to track its path towards Belize since the start of the 2010 hurricane season and threatens to become a hurricane. It is the third storm that appears to be heading for northern […]
The end of the hurricane season is in sight but threats are still looming. With five weeks to go before it officially closes, another weather system is may be heading this way. On Wednesday night the seventeenth named Tropical Storm, Richard, formed about a hundred and sixty miles south of the Cayman Islands. Earlier today, […]
The Japanese International Corporation Agency is assisting the National Emergency Management Organization along with technical experts from the National Met Service to install a flood early warning system for the Belize River Valley. The area is prone to severe flooding and the equipment will enable the residents to detect when they are in danger of […]
Since the passage of Tropical Storm Matthew, various parts of the country, primarily the west and central regions, flooded. A News Five team encountered a flooded road when we visited Flowers Bank on Tuesday and a river that had risen about twenty feet above its normal level. Gonguez says the flooding will last for another […]
The water level of the Belize River is at least twenty five feet higher than normal. This is the result of flood waters that continue to flow down from the Cayo District in the wake of Tropical Storm Matthew. The access road to Flowers Bank was flooded for hundreds of yards, and Forecaster Frank Tench […]
While Tropical Depression Matthew brought with it little to no damages as it made landfall in Belize over the weekend, it did wreak havoc off the coast. The Belize Audubon Society has confirmed that a lighthouse, one of the oldest in the country located on Halfmoon Caye near the Turneffe Atoll, was toppled by gale […]
In our last newscast on Friday, the seventeenth tropical depression for this year intensified and became Tropical Storm Matthew. It initially posed a threat to our nation over the past weekend. Around the country, hurricane preparedness went in full swing since the preliminary forecast for the depression showed that it could culminate as a hurricane […]
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 […]
Matthew dumped as much as ten inches of rainfall and by this morning the water levels were rising in the west; in some areas as much as ten feet. Bridges and crossings were submerged. But there were some good tidings, in San Ignacio a News Five crew found that the flood waters brought a bounty […]
Tropical Storm Matthew has been moving erratically. This afternoon it reduced in strength and intensity as it swirled in the Gulf of Honduras and was downgraded to a tropical depression. But at last check, Matthew had regained strength and was located in Honduras. Winds have increased to forty-nine miles per hour and it is expected […]
Later this afternoon, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) provided an update on its preparations to weather Tropical Storm Matthew. Initial projections had the storm reaching Belize early Sunday morning. But according to NEMO coordinator, Noreen Fairweather it will now hit the coast on Saturday evening. News Five spoke to Fairweather in Belmopan and she […]
If you feel you need to move out of your homes and weather the storm at a hurricane shelter but are worried about the safety of your belongings, frequent police patrols are planned. Staff Officer at the Raccoon Street Police Station, Superintendent Simeon Alvarez, says the police will work along with the Belize Defense Force […]
And in case you determine that you don’t need to leave your home but later discover that you and your family are in peril, CEMO also has a team that will try to reach you. Zenaida Moya-Flowers, Chair, CEMO “I did get a call from Pastor Richard Smith, he has his contacts abroad and they […]
Eight days ago, a tropical storm blew across northern Belize. Except for the heavy rains and winds, there were minor damages and Karl moved on to Mexico where it did cause loss of life and significant damages. It’s an active season and tonight a weather system in the Caribbean has now become Tropical Storm Mathew […]
Late this evening, the Ministry of Education confirmed that classes for Friday have been cancelled due to the threat from the storm. The Ministry’s Education Information Officer, Arlette Gomez, says the decision was taken to avoid any type of perils to life and limb. Arlette Gomez, Education Information Officer, M.O.E. (via phone) “We will be […]
And while forecasters keep a close watch on the progress of Tropical Storm Matthew, the Belize City Council is keeping a keen eye on preparedness. That is because if the storm develops into a formidable force stronger than a category two, most of the shelters in Belize City are not deemed fit to withstand a […]
