Hurricane Rita continues to barrel its way towards Texas tonight and although the storm has weakened in the last twenty-four hours, its impact on the U.S. Gulf Coast is expected to have disastrous consequences. This morning rising sea levels crushed levees in New Orleans, inundating parts of the devastated city once more. Rita is expected […]
In the deadly aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on the U.S. Gulf Coast, this time around, Americans aren’t taking any chances. When evacuation orders were issued for parts of Texas, an estimated five million people packed up and hit the road. But instead of getting out of dodge, tonight thousands are still sitting in “parking lots” […]
The disturbing images coming out of areas of the United States affected by Hurricane Katrina, namely Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, may cause many of us to wonder what we can do to help. Perhaps even more importantly, those of us with family there may be still trying to reach loved ones. Well there is something […]
Almost three days after Hurricane Katrina began its assault on the U.S. Gulf Coast, we have received no specific reports on how numerous Belizeans living in the affected areas have fared. Word has been received that Belize’s honorary consul in New Orleans, Jean Bernard, successfully evacuated to Houston and it is believed that most of […]
Recent lightning storms have wreaked havoc on delicate computers and electronic devices, but on Tuesday the violent weather claimed its first life. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods has the story. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Today, following a post-mortem at the city?s morgue, fifteen-year-old Wilver Alexander Calderon was finally laid. But his family is not satisfied with the […]
Six weeks after a fatal boat collision in the Placencia lagoon, the Belize Ports Authority has concluded its investigation. According to maritime officials, a team headed by Operations Manager Gilbert Swazo conducted an intensive inquiry into the accident and has made a number of determinations regarding the cause of the crash. This afternoon Ports Commissioner […]
This evening the Prime Minister and the National Emergency Management Committee, NEMO, declared the preliminary phase of Belize’s Hurricane Plan effective as of six p.m. This means that all those living at the cayes are asked to move to the mainland on Saturday and anyone living along low-lying coastal areas should start preparing and also […]
A fire at Goff’s Caye has destroyed a large thatch-roofed structure used by visitors. Police are still trying to find out what started the blaze that totally destroyed the palapa belonging to the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute sometime on Thursday night. Valued at around thirty thousand dollars, the structure was used to provide […]
A tragic fire in Independence on Monday night has claimed the lives of two of the village’s residents. Sixty-year-old Elizabeth Diego and one-year-old Rudolph Green were burned to death inside their small wooden house, which caught fire around seven-thirty Monday night. Preliminary investigations by police reveal that Diego’s common law husband, Ricardo Lozano, left some […]
More woes for B.E.L. Around four-thirty this afternoon the entire nation was once again plunged into blackout. The cause was an explosion at the Xul-Ha generating plant west of Chetumal, which cut off the supply of Mexican electricity to Belize. While B.E.L. managed to get the power back online from Mollejon and the gas turbine, […]
It’s not clear what started a fire at Loskot’s Hardware Furniture Company in Orange Walk this morning, but the blaze kept staff and fire-fighters busy for several hours. Our media affiliate in Orange Walk, Centaur Cable Network, was on the scene and provided the following footage. Omar Delgado, Employee, Loskot’s ?I was trying my best […]
Radio listeners were surprised yesterday to hear reports of a freak storm affecting the one part of the country generally regarded as an inland safe-haven during hurricanes and other bad weather. But what happened in the twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio showed all of us that Mother Nature is indeed a fickle […]
As if B.E.L. repair crews in Orange Walk did not have enough to worry about, last night they and local residents faced the havoc created by mother nature in the form of a violent storm. Patrick Jones, Reporting Across San Jose Palmar Village the scene was the same…families were drying out their belongings and starting […]
Tonight two families from the Cayo district are mourning the loss of loved ones after separate drowning incidents along the Belize River. According to thirty-year-old Irma Messa, on Friday, she took her children to an area near Santa Elena Town called “Trapich” where they could swim while she did laundry. However, Messa says that around […]
It had the potential to be a disaster of horrible proportions. But quick action by a courageous woman saved over a dozen precious lives as a fire Thursday evening destroyed a children’s home in Belmopan. Earlier today, I visited the nation’s capital to assess the damage. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Most of the children had already […]
Another child has drowned, this time in Cayo. And while police investigate the circumstances, the mother of thirteen-year-old Adela Vansen wants an explanation from her child’s caregivers. Adela and five of her siblings have been in the custody of the Human Services Department at the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre for the last two years. […]
While the ongoing political dramas have dominated the headlines, other more routine events continued to unfold. In Belize City, firemen were pressed into action early Monday morning on Pickstock Street in one of the most congested areas of the north side. Henry Baizar, Fire Chief ?When the guys arrived there, where the fire started was […]
Another child has drowned, this time in the village of Camalote. According to police reports, on Tuesday afternoon three year old Eldelmira Serrano went down to the Belize River to swim with his parents and two other children. While playing in the water, the child went under and did not come up. His body was […]
It is not the first and will certainly not be the last drowning we will report during this season of hot sunny weather… but each time we broadcast this type of news it still hurts. The latest victim is two-year-old Jalen Samuels. The baby boy, a resident of Faber’s Road in Belize City, went on […]
One of Belize City’s oldest and most popular hangouts along the Haulover Creek burned down last night. But the owner and patrons of the “Traveller’s” and “Aqui Me Quedo” bars are not the only losers. The building on Regent Street West was also headquarters for the Belize Premier Football League and valuable records have been […]
With the dry weather on us, there is a lot of smoke in the air from brush fires. But this afternoon it was a house fire at mile two and a half on the Western Highway that caused a commotion. By the time fire fighters arrived on the scene, however, there was no way to […]
Fire is a popular topic these days, with the city garbage dump still burning, four buildings in San Ignacio destroyed and a number of homes levelled by both arson and less malicious causes. And that tally doesn’t include the threat of bush fires, which are always a danger during the dry season. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting […]
Fire struck today in Belize City but investigators will not have to work too hard to figure out how it started. I arrived on the scene as the unfortunate family was putting the pieces together. Patrick Jones The mid afternoon fire on Police Street extension has left seven people without a roof over their heads. […]
It’s not the first time it’s happened and–official pronouncements aside–will probably not be the last. I’m talking about the burning Belize City garbage dump. Over the weekend a change in wind direction sent the thick acrid smoke directly into the heart of the old capital. This morning I visited the area and met with some […]
It was not a good weekend for several Belizeans who sought relief from the intense heat. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods today visited Hattieville where two deaths by drowning are still being studied by police. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting A post mortem conducted on the bodies of eighteen-month-old Austin Young and nineteen-year-old Desiree James revealed that mother […]
