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Here's her report:..

We left out at 8 this morning in route to a couple villages in Rural Belize - to see what conditions were like - after the passing of Hurricane Richard.

Our First stop was at Freetown Sibun.

Wilda Murillo
"Sunday night when the breeze picks up we were inside the house. My house didn't shake, just that a layer of the zinc had blown off and the water came in and everything got wet up. The Monday morning when we woke up and came outside this all what we saw; everything is just laid down all the coconuts trees, the papaya trees, custard apple trees, bread fruit trees, everything is on the ground."

Murillo and I took a tour around the area - as she showed me the multitude of coconut trees that fell during hurricane Richard.

Wilda Murillo
"This puts me back a lot, at least like 6-7 years because when the trees fell like this they die then you have to go back and plant seedling all again and wait at least 6 years before they start bearing again."

With fresh produce as their main source of income - Murillo is not the only one affected in the Village of Freetown Sibun… As you can see, their fruits and vegetables were all destroyed during the storm.

Wilda Murillo
"First of all we have to give God thanks, we have life, no casualty - no death thank God for that. We have life, we have hope, we can go again, it's just that it will take time for us to start over. Once we have faith in God he will provide for us. We just have to put our shoulder to the wheel and start all over again; planting and then just let the process takes it course."

The village was still without electricity when we visited this morning. And so too was the village of Gracie Rock - which was our next stop.

Dexter Robinson - Vice Chairman, Gracie Rock Village
"Well it is still kind of rough right now because we need a lot of attention right now. We need food, water and so forth, we need to rebuild back."

This one family lost everything during the storm. Their upstairs wooden home was blown down and smashed to pieces. Nothing much could have been saved.

Gilford Hoare - Hurricane Victim
"Well I lose totally everything, only a couple items I took out to the shelter, everything else just gone."

Monica Bodden
"Nothing didn't save?"

Gilford Hoare - Hurricane Victim
"Nothing, everything just got wet up, most of the electrical appliances that I had, I had to see what I could take out after the storm. Right now I have them in the sun drying. But clothes and everything else is wet up."

Gilford and his family were at the community shelter - weathering the storm. He said he did hear when his house fell.

Monica Bodden
"How hard it was for you to actually stand on the street side and see your house completely gone, years of work, years of putting in effort to purchase your items and within hours......"

Gilford Hoare - Hurricane Victim
"Well I had to try and take it slowly day by day, but for the first it was kind of tough. I kind a expect it after watching the amount of breeze that was coming, If it stay so long the house wouldn't fall."

Despite their circumstances - these villagers were still gracious… as we enjoyed some good ole coconut water and got prepared for a tour down the Sibun River - the other side of the village.

Monica Bodden
"We are heading up the Sibun River where will be visiting with those who have been affected by Hurricane Richard. We are here with Mr. Samuels who will be taking us up that area. Again we are still in Gracie Rock but this side of the village is not accessible by road."

While going up the river we noticed the change of color in the water - and also the current. According to the experts in the boat - it is because the river is flooded.

This one man was paddling his dorey with his water vat tied on. He had to go retrieve it from the other side of the river since it was blown away by the hurricane.

Our first stop was at the Brakeman's residence…

Esella Brakeman - Hurricane Victim
"When the weather came I wasn't here, I was in Democracia Village with my daughters."

Monica Bodden
"So when you came home?"

Esella Brakeman - Hurricane Victim
"I came the same morning. My son call me and tell me to come and see the place; your kitchen gone and the fruit trees are gone."

Monica Bodden
"So your stove, your fire hearth, everything just gone. It's wet up."

For Esella's sister - Barbara - her entire house was destroyed. We found her sitting inside her broken down home - still shaken and in tears.

Monica Bodden
"You are sitting in your house, you have no walls, obviously you lost everything, I see you are crying. How hard this is for you?"

Barbara Brakeman - Hurricane Victim
"It's very hard because first time I experience this. First time."

Monica Bodden
"First time you ever experience something like this."

Barbara Brakeman - Hurricane Victim
"The beds, the mattress, everything is gone."

She too was weathering the storm in La Democracia -

Barbara Brakeman - Hurricane Victim
"My brother call me and told me to come and see my house and came and this is what I see. everything all messed up."

Monica Bodden
"What was that like for you to actually just see everything that you took so many years to put together destroyed in just hours."

Barbara Brakeman - Hurricane Victim
"Well I was very shock and surprise because I didn't think it would be like this."

For this family and many others - they are badly in need of assistance.

NEMO, the Belize Red Cross and other organizations have been giving away food packages and water in the area - but they say it's just not enough.

And while on our way back out from that side of the village - we learned a little bit of history. According to our boat captain - the village was named after a woman who lived on top of this hill… covered with rocks. Her name was Gracie. Reporting for 7 News, Monica Bodden.

And as we reported last night, while storm victims are still complaining, relief is getting out - today we saw the Red Cross in the Jane Usher Boulevard area distribution sleeping bags, food and other supplies to storm affected families.

We also saw the Department of Human Services in the area distributing sacks full of rations and cleaning supplies - with queues of residents lining up to get their portions.