from Wendy Auxillou
I flew over both the Western Highway and the Northern Highway yesterday. For as far as we flew over the Western Highway yesterday (probably up to about the Boom Road cutoff) there was still extreme flooding everywhere. All you could see is water water everywhere, except for the sliver of dry land which is the highway itself. I think the water has receded below that, but it still remains high everywhere.

Ironically, most of the housing projects on the Western Highway were NOT under water, although they were virtual islands, the only high spots surrounded by water.

On the Northern Highway, the flooding is not as pronounced. I saw flooding on the riverbanks near the airport but other than that I did not see highway flooding anywhere. The one area where it looked distressingly like the sea could soon meet the river was near a curve close to Raul's. The land is wide(ish) there, but someone had dredged canals supposedly for possible home sites but the canals were deathly close to the highway, and so was the river at that point. You don't really notice this when you are driving on the highway as sometimes there is brush hiding what lays beyond it.

I shudder to think of the terrible mosquito problem that will occur when this water starts to settle a bit more. The whole of Belize City and environs will be the inevitable recipients to an incredible mosquito problem. Right now the water is still at a high enough level that it is still flowing, but that won't be forever.

Here is the video of the flooding on the Western Highway:
[youtube]EJ1_mzn9aQc[/youtube]

Here is the video of the flooding on the Northern Highway:
This is the road we've been taking to get up to work since last week Wed. 29-10-08
[youtube]x8caN_fdbFA[/youtube]

I have a friend who lives by the river at Burrell Boom, and his house and workshop has been under water for 2 1/2 weeks. It only dropped below the level of the floor two days ago. Unspeakable mess and damage.

Anyone know how John & Carolyn have fared at Banana Bank? Would assume that Parrots Nest in Bullet Tree Falls is a disaster.