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23 villages and communities in the Belize and Orange Walk Districts have been declared disaster areas. They are Crooked Tree, Willows Bank, Bamboo Patch, Maypen, Lemonal, Flowers Bank, Isabella Bank, Rancho Dolores, Grace Bank, St. Paul’s Bank, Bomba, Burrell Boom, Western Pines at mile 8, Freetown Sibun, Lord’s Bank, and Rhaburn Ridge.

In the Orange Walk District, Blue Creek, Trial Farm, San Roman, San Antonio, Santa Cruz, and Douglas Villages as well as the Louisiana, Santa Familia, and Smithsonian communities within the town have been declared disaster areas. The declarations are part of the initial damage assessment report from NEMO of tropical depression number 16 and the devastating floods that followed.

And though we haven’t had rain for almost a week, in some areas like San Roman, San Victor and Douglas Villages, the water is still rising according to the Met Office. In fact, this weekend, the water covered a portion of the Belize-Santa Elena Road near the northern border. And where the water is not rising, it is standing. Those waters still have much of the River Valley and parts of the Orange Walk District submerged.

According to the report 16,455 persons are in need of relief assistance. It notes that while only 297 persons are in shelters – it is likely that a far greater number have been displaced. 336 households, home to a total of 1,256 persons, have been directly impacted by the flooding. NEMO estimates hat in one way or another 36,880 persons were directly affected whether with transportation challenges, getting around their communities or attending school.