We just showed you what was happening in the flood affected community
of Calla Creek today. And shortly we’ll show you what was happening in
Succotz today. But first, we take you to yesterday, when it was another story
as authorities had to assess and respond to mass flooding in multiple areas.
7NEWS was on the ground, in the air and on the water– here’s what
the assessment and the response included.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
This was the Roaring Creek Bridge at 2:00 on Sunday afternoon, a manageable
6 inches above the deck. Emergency responders gathered around the bridge closely
monitoring traffic as dozens of onlookers observed more stunned than stranded 
and this is how it looks from above. 5 hours later at 7 pm the levels had increased
by about 6 inches with canoe operators still ferrying people across.
The Iguana Creek Bridge is buried somewhere in there under an estimated 25
feet of water. The immensity of the flood, not seen on this level in this area
for maybe more than a decade, drew a steady stream of curious onlookers.
And many more onlookers than that gathered at the entrance to San Jose Succotz
village where unprecedented levels of water completely engulfed the western
highway in fact you’d find it difficult to say where the road ends and 
the river begins. The Mopan River had completely over-run its banks and at its
crest the flood level exceeded both Hurricanes Mitch and Keith. Those who know
the area tell us they’ve never seen anything like it. From above all that’s
visible is a swathe of water. Still, canoe operators kept busy in the area,
braving massive currents.
The Bullet Tree Bridge was also submerged and the only things visible to say
that it was even there are these ornamental lights. And to get an overview of
the flood situation and the problems that communities are facing, NEMO Minister
Melvin Hulse, Cayo Northeast Area Representative Elvin Penner, and NEMO Coordinator
Noreen Fairweather went on a BATSUB helicopter tour to see the storm affected
areas. When they returned an hour later, Hulse gave a quick debriefing.
Hon. Melvin Hulse, NEMO Minister
“I need numbers. Shelters are not a problem, it is those who refuse
to move. I will document that we have gone every single where and from Belama
to Queen’s Square to everywhere, Rancho, Isabella, everywhere and 90%
of the people refuse to move. They refuse.”
In the NEMO headquarters in Cayo that’s just what they have been dealing.
Most of these people had been working the whole weekend on evacuations, shelter,
and supplies.
John August, Mayor
“People have been working for the last two days. We have easily over
60 to 75 people who have been working with the rescue team and the different
chairpersons from different committees and their assistants. So we have about
75 people working I would estimate. It can be more but nothing less than that.
For about two, three days now they’ve been working.”
After his aerial tour Penner joined the NEMO staff and gave us his assessment.
Hon. Elvin Penner, NEMO Coordinator – Cayo
“We just came from am aerial flight over most of the parts, all the 
way from Arenal down to More Tomorrow. There are a number of houses under water
or in the water at least. One very striking view as Calla Creek where there
was not one single house that is not in the water and most of the houses you
can just barely see the roof top and others if you have a two floor house they
are up to the second floor in water. In Succotz and Benque the road is well
under water and far as I am concerned, this has never happened before. The bridge
at the border is not under water but it is not safe for people to be crossing,
they have a machinery there working and clearing it as we speak so to make sure
the logs don’t jam up and in turn probably damage the bridge. It is not
under water but people are not passing right now.”
But what worries is are these vast acreages of corn under production and ready 
for harvest that are swamped and destroyed.
Hon. Elvin Penner,
“One thing I would like to mention is we would have a severe problem
in terms of corn supply this year. We have I would estimate up to 50% of the
crops that we grow are under water and they will more than likely not be able
to save them.”
Al Westby, NEMO
“I am amazed and heartbroken at the same time. Amazed because I have
never seen so much water in my life, a vital element for life and yet so much
destruction that it can cause. What I see as heartbreaking is that this year
we will have severe shortage of corn. As we flew over the hundreds and hundreds
of acres of corn which were almost ready for reaping, I can see that all those
will be a great loss for our economy.”
And while that will be felt in the medium and long term, in the short term
the priority for NEMO is securing lives. William Swan is in charge of search
and rescue. When we met him on Sunday, he had gone without sleep for two to
three days working through the night, sometimes without a boat, to help people
in Bullet Tree get to higher ground.
William Swan, Search and Rescue
“First when we tried to do this search and rescue we had people who
did not want us to take them out because they take it for granted that the water
will not reach a certain height and so I advised them because we get information
from the Belize Weather Bureau the situation and the water will rise and thing
and so we went in the areas and tried to brief them and move them before the 
water gets out of control and what happens like for example last night I was
trying to move a family and they refused. Early this morning we got a call that
the family’s blocked in and they need to be rescued and that is the thing
we try to avoid.”
We accompanied Swan and his team on Sunday’s last check into Bullet Tree
where they also took supplies to villagers in a shelter. As the daylight faded
some of the scenes were almost unthinkable as our boat threaded through what
used to be streets, no rivers with swirling currents. Some of the buildings
were barely visible. Even as night descended, these people said they would stick
it out. This is the Riverside Resort or what used to be the resort, the thatch
roof is all that’s left. Their vehicles, a van and a pickup, are also
completely lost to the floods as coursing currents pull at this lamppost. And
in the last light, these men were working in their yard trying to secure the
little they could save.
As the blanket of night made the village setting even more sombre and surreal,
we headed out trying to avoid rowing the boat over fences not visible but just
below the water. To find the path out, we used light posts as our guide. It
is a lesson for everyone, especially those downstream.
Sheldon Delfour, NEMO Deputy Coordinator
“The focus is all the communities along waterways or the path of the
floodwaters coming down from the time it leaves Roaring Creek into Banana Bank
and all those destinations beyond. Between 20 to 24 hours we can see that water
going downstream in those areas and it will come down in waves, this is where
people have to be smart in the sense that you may get a first wave and you may
say well it is nothing much but we cannot anticipate what the second or third
wave may be like so people have to be very conscious of the situation and be
smart, take the warning and move to higher ground.”
Hon. Elvin Penner,
“I would like to one last time urge the residents not only of the
San Ignacio and Caye area but all over the country, the very very extreme importance
of preparing for these types of situations. What we’re noticing now, we’ve
only been like let’s say for instance the Bullet Tree area has only been
cut off from San Ignacio itself for I would say less than 24 to 36 hours and
they are already complaining that they have no supplies in their house. People
when you see stormy weather coming, you need to see you get some food items
into your house, some drinking water because yes NEMO is well organized, we
have a lot of supplies and we can help a lot of people but we can never assist
all. We will do our best job and we realize the best is never good enough and
that is why the people are responsible, you need to prepare yourself for these
types of situations. We do not like to see people suffering out there but as
much as we are trying to do, we cannot help everybody at one time.”
A small note, residents tell us that the water rose incrementally,
not in a flash flood. Tonight, the Coordinator of NEMO in Cayo tells us that
water levees receded slightly today, but then went back up. It was also raining
in San Ignacio at news time. Still, the forecast says that the worst of the
flooding should be past for those communities.
But make no mistake, there are “dread” days ahead. The
biggest issue for authorities now that everyone has been put in a safe place
and is more or less provided for is the recovery. And the most pressing concern
is health, particularly trying to mitigate the effects of contaminated water.
A water purifying system was installed in Bullet Tree today and other significant
efforts will have to be made to avoid infection.
Losses of property and crops are also in the tens of millions of dollars.
The damage assessment is underway but there won’t Be any numbers until,
the earliest late this week.
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