Perhaps we are going to be able to enjoy a big sigh of relief. At the last 5pm edt report Felix has been predicted to hit Nicaragua and Honduras - and perhaps not even touch Belize. The storm is compact and swift which is a blessing.

San Pedro is boarded up tight and many folks have voluntarily left.

Although people have reacted swiftly and without panic it was absolutely heartwrenching looking at the faces of many that were leaving - since they are going into conditions much harsher than at home, no work, no income and uncertain if home and a job will be here upon their return.

Hurricane fatigue will certainly be a factor if there are any more scares this year. Most people's evacuation budget has probably been streched the limit after this run and people may be less quick to react in the future.

Let's hope that our islanders can keep their chins up and continue to act in such an admirable manner.

Please continue to think of us here in Belize and don't stop the prayers. I know we will be channeling our strong good thoughts to Nicaragua and Honduras tonight.

Have been feeling a little relieved that we may not get the worst of it but still getting all done and ready. Just heard that Jim Cantore has just arrived in Belize City so that is a little scary. We always said if we ever see him we are out of here!!!!!

the media went to cancun for the last one. and nothing happened there

from caye caulker....

How do you board up your place for a hurricane? With strips of boards? Big plywood pieces? Do you bolt them in, nail them in? Do you cover the entire window, or just parts of it? I think the boards across the windows and doors are real works of art. I wish I had the digital camera handy to photograph the different styles.

Here at Auxillou Suites, Immer took his time and cut the plywood pieces into exact sized parcels. So, they fix across the windows and doors in a patterned geometric shape. I think its a beautiful piece of art. He also didn't nail them in. No, that would have been too cheesy for him. He drilled into the cement walls putting in those metal things you screw bolts into, and then he bolted all the plywood pieces into their special place.

Every single piece is symmetrically placed. Awesome!

At Caye Caulker Condos down the road, they also have the plywood pieces bolted into the buildingl. But theirs is no ordinary bolting. First there are pieces bolted on horizontally, and then on top of that there are pieces bolted on in the opposite direction. Fabulous.

Across our office plywood is written:

Felix, Felix
go away
little Blayd
wants to play
Come again
another day

The house across the street from Caye Caulker Condos has strips of wood nailed across the windows. Neat!

Well, it would be worth marking the boards so that they fit into exactly the same places next time you need to board up. My wooden shutters are numbered, fit into the window frame and are bolted into place. Works great. Of course I also have some of the accordian aluminum shutters which are a piece of cake and work great if you want to secure the place while you away on holiday too.

Heres some interesting reading while you wait:
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/mitch/mitch.html

Interesting (unfortunate) read, Jesse. Thanks for posting.

Re: Amanda's post.

I spent a lot of the day running around and chatting with people and when I hit the water depot one of the staff I know well said "how much more of this can we take". We're all taking a hit from this business wise but for this person his biggest worry was that he had been unable to send a paycheque home for the last few weeks to support his family as he was being hit so hard financially (he works 3 jobs) and his income has dropped radically, much more so than in a regular low season.

It costs many of the workers a small fortune (in their terms) to leave their jobs for unpaid leave and travel back and forth to their homes to take care of their families every time they have to evacuate. You have to remember that a large portion of the workers on the island are here alone and support their families on the mainland without having to see them for weeks on end.

Thats a very sad reality Simon.

from a friend...
For those of us living downstream of the Macal River, it
was Heather Duplooy who, earlier today, posed the question about a warning
system in the event of a dam break.
The question was directed to BEL - PR person Vonetta Burrell informed
that the question was directed to the operators of the Dam, BECOL.
Below is a response from Gina Moro' BECOL'S PR person:*

*Dear ++,*

* Thank you for contacting us. Please note that BECOL has an Emergency
Preparedness Plan in place and would work with the National Emergency
Management Organization to ensure the safety of downstream residents. In the
case of such unlikely event, we advise you to listen and adhere to all NEMO
advisories. We would like to remind residents that a natural flood can be
far more serious than a dam break.*

* **Thank you,*

*GINA MORO, Public Relations Officer - BECOL*