Sixteen thousand people have been affected by the flood of 08. That
is across the country but as we’ve been reporting, the attention is now
on the Belize District where flood waters are now rising. As we reported Prime
Minister Dean Barrow toured in a British military helicopter yesterday and here’s
the full report.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The tour began on the ground in Belmopan where the CEO in the Ministry of NEMO
Col. George Lovell gave Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow, NEMO Minister Melvin
Hulse, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Works Edmund Castro an overview.
Col. George Lovell, CEO
“We will fly over Bermudian Landing and then he goes over Flowers
Bank and Grace Bank area and then he turns back from there and then he lands
at Rancho.”
And with that understood, they boarded the British Army’s Huey Bell helicopter
and they were off.
This is what they saw: entire areas across the Belize District, and specifically
in the river valley, covered in flood water. Images which make the toll and
scale of the flood waters strikingly apparent. The first stop was in Rancho
Dolores where the team met with Belize District NEMO Coordinator Calbert Budd
and Rancho residents.
Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
“Mek a congratulate all a unu because the village has pulled together 
and it is inspirational. Where is the man who said you can’t cheat nature
and that the villagers still have a smiling face and that is absolutely uplifting
so I want to thank you very much and congratulate you.”
But these Rancho Dolores residents need more than just congratulation because
that inspiration will only take them so far.
And it wasn’t just in Rancho. Back in the air the Prime Minister continued
to get a bird eye’s view of the affected areas in the river valley. All
along more communities desolated and isolated by floods. Nowhere was that more
apparent than in Crooked Tree, or what’s now known as the islands of Crooked
Tree where they met villagers led by Chairman George Guest.
George Guest, Crooked Tree Chairman
“Wanna welcome you to the beautiful of Crooked Tree. Everybody appreciates
that you decided to come.”
Hon. Dean Barrow,
“Well I had to come. The Minister I don’t think would have ever 
forgiven me. The message is simply that I guess everybody is so inspired by
the way the people in the river valley have been able to cope. Spirits are still
high, people are still smiling and that’s a blessing. But just to let
you know that the government is committed to doing every single thing it can
to help with reconstruction as soon as possible. We will play our part. We will
find funds to help with reconstruction.”
The final stop was in Orange Walk where Barrow met Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar
Vega and Youth Minister Marcel Cardona. Barrow told press travelling with him
that given what he saw - government will have to find assistance for those affected.
How much and from where? He isn’t quite sure but he repeated that help
will be on its way.
Hon. Dean Barrow,
“I have already $3 million. We’re going to have to find another
$2 million to assist especially the last category that I described, helping
people to repair their homes and to replace the possessions in their homes.
One way or another we’re going to put together a rescue package, a reconstruction
package. That of course won’t be enough, it can never be enough given
the scale of the destruction but we are absolutely going to be able to give
people the basics to start putting their lives back together. We will do whatever
is necessary, we will do whatever it takes, and we will assist people to put
their lives back together.”
The Prime Minister says that like Cayo, parts of the Belize District
will also be declared a disaster area after assessments. Likely, it will be
the same in the Orange Walk District.
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