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Courtney Menzies spoke to the City Administrator about the report and the work that CitCo hopes to commence soon. Here is that story.

The streets of Belize City are no match for three weeks of relentless rains, and over time, the potholes have multiplied in number and size, and today they are more like craters. And according to the City Council's Damage Assessment Report, the cost of the repairs of the 157 streets that sustained the most damages will amount to over a million dollars. But since that's not in their budget, the City Admin says they've gone to the government for help.

Albert Vaughan, City Administrator, Belize CitCo
"Of course we can't get out there and fix them right away because the rain keeps coming and so we don't want to waste resources and so we had to send out our technical team out there and they brought back the report with the cost center, I think it cost like $1.69 million in damages."

"If we are going to ask local government, or even MIDH to help, then there must be some kind of cost center to the damages. These are not normal rains, these were bad weather that affect the city and the 1.69… I think the mayor have made that approach already to local government, we had to report to local government to say listen, this is what it cost the city with those two weeks, now three weeks of rains."

But what will those repairs look like, and will they hold up against another bout of rain?

Courtney Menzies:
"We know that we have to build streets that are climate change resistant and whatnot, so I don't think, in many of these cases the regular chip and seal and just patching up the potholes, they don't work anymore because they don't last very long. do you find a lot of these streets that were paved in this type of way, those ones have already received damages, and that in itself is a waste in resources, rather than just cementing it one time."

Albert Vaughan, City Administrator, Belize CitCo
"You're absolutely right. Technology as we go along, and you are right because we find that the concrete street stands up better with the water. Many of those are still standing up, yes they flood but when that water goes down the concrete street stands up but you are right. I think we have to find some way to get the correct material. I am not an engineer so I can't help in that field but yes, we have to look at it, those chip and seal, but you know we are doing hot mix so I think the hot mix will stand up much better in this weather so it has to elevate from that, definitely."

And Vaughan says that the work will commence once the sun starts shining - and the funds come in.

Albert Vaughan, City Administrator, Belize CitCo
"I met with the technical team just yesterday and we're working on a plan of action, it think by tomorrow morning that plan of action should be with us where we would, in particular the thoroughfare, try to fill those holes with some kind of materials, until the weather is much more friendlier to us that we can go in and do the patch. Because patch do hold in dry weather, it won't hold in this dry weather, so we're not going out there to waste those materials so yes we have a plan, we will present that plan tomorrow to the mayor and of course that plan will come with a money, so we'll have to figure out where we'll get this money from."

"I asked the team to prioritize so you'll find that Lake I and Port Loyola will be the area that we need to prioritize in. Jane Usher Boulevard, it's crazy. So yes the team will come up with that."

While the initial report said 157 streets, a finalized version has decreased it to 149.