Marion Ali, Reporting
Torrential rains fell over Belize City and other areas of the country over Sunday night and it caused severe flooding in low-lying areas of the old capital. A number of streets in the city were impassable for a few hours on Tuesday night but by this morning, the water had dissipated. Weather forecasters predicted the torrential rains.
Dennis Gonguez, Chief Meteorologist
“A broad area of low pressure exists over the northwestern Caribbean; the centre of this system is presently over the Orange Walk District. Since the system is over land, there’s no potential for it to develop further. We had some rainfall amounting to 2 – 21/2 inches over the northern parts of the country; we had forecast the amounts of rainfall indeed.”
MARION ALI
But while the Met Service warned of the rains that caused some residents to experience flooding into their homes, CEMO had not activated a plan of action because they did not expect so much water in so little time.
Philip Willoughby, Councilor, Belize City
“We did not expect right off, the amount and the volumes of rain that the MET office is telling us took place last night but once we are notified automatically, we know what we ought to do and we will execute what we have to do.”
Wayne Usher, Liaison Officer, CEMO
“A freak event, I would say because we did not expect so much heavy rains in such a sustained amount of time.”
MARION ALI
Tuesday night’s rains also prompted CEMO to spun into action and to prioritize the formation of an Emergency Response Team comprising eight persons from the relevant agencies.
Wayne Usher
“The Emergency Response Team will be a special unit with qualified persons who will be able to go out there; field workers, people with expertise who can go out there and make quick decisions and who can weather the storm; not like me because I am too old to go out there. We will have good, strong people on the ERT and that team will move for any emergencies and of course, we will have the vehicles to go along with them.”
Philip Willoughby
“There will be a partial activation of the Belize City Council EOC here at our head office whereby an emergency task force will be put into operation to provide logistical support where needed for residents of the City to evacuate. Police officers will be assigned to our EOC at five o’clock to provide security services.”
MARION ALI
But even with the Council’s plan now in place, the forecast for the next 24 hours calls for even more rain.
Dennis Gonguez
“We expect about two inches come tomorrow morning; I would say after midnight tonight towards dawn the rain should pick up again and about two inches around this time tomorrow.”
MARION ALI
If the coming rains displace anyone in the City, Willoughby says there is a plan to house them temporarily.
Philip Willoughby
“After communicating with the EOC or the various other agencies who provide emergency support, they will then be transported to Bishop Memorial Centre where they will be housed for a short period of time until the low pressure system provides them to be there and immediately after the system dissipates they will be taken back to their homes. This is not a long term shelter and I would like to ask the residents to take supplies and provisions for themselves as none of that would be provided.”
MARION ALI
CEMO warns, however, that in the event there is too much flooding in an area when a call is made for rescue, CEMO will not endanger the lives of its personnel, but will dispatch help as soon as the weather and flooding situation lighten up. Residents who may need to call for help can call CEMO at 227 2308, 227 2622.
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More Rains Coming; Emergency Response Will Be Ready This Time
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