First look at Damages of Hurricane Richard, Belize City

NEMO’s Findings

Minister Melvin Hulse, Minister of NEMO
"We are going to get a cost for our people. We flew over, yes we have identified in preliminary stages, we took care of about 4,000 people last night. And Judith who was really there, so anybody who knows of family that needs relief assistant you can coordinate with Ms. Alpuche she is the CEO of Human Resources. We have to do it, we can't have lines cross, we have to have clear lines of implementation because we have to account and we have to reach everybody, that is the fact of life and there are some people about 100 people who do not have a home to go back to so Judith will be taking care of them until such time, there are appropriate place to put them. The fact is that we have had over 200 people that got affected already. We are talking about a few areas that I will identify up in Belize Rural, we have in Hattieville and Gracie Rock and we have in Gales Point, Mullings River, we got up in Cayo we got several villages. There was one last night in Roaring Creek and I know that there is a tremendous amount back in Cohune Walk, San Martin, Las Flores, Salvapan and Maya Mopan."

While all those areas were affected, National Coordinator of NEMO Noreen Fairweather says that based on information to the National EOC and aerial reconnaissance, the preliminary estimates of damage are in the millions, which doesn't include damage to the tourism industry and the loss of utilities, particularly electricity:

Noreen Fairweather, National Coordinator of NEMO
"We have in term of damages to homes over 150-200 homes. we are looking at some preliminary figures around 3.6 million dollars. Recover works and when I say recovery works speaking to specifically the basic clearing of the roads and highways, the removal of the trees and debris and putting things back in order countrywide not recovery in terms of replacing any structural work that may have been done on our road network, bridges, culverts etc. this is just recovery for removal of debris and other things that are blocking the roads and in the city etc. Our estimate for that is around a million dollars. Throughout the passage of Hurricane Richard we had over 4,600 plus people in shelter. Unfortunately with some of those houses going down and people losing roof, sidings, there after persons that we will have to continue to accommodate and support in shelter with some sort of relief supplies; feeding and bedding. We have an estimate of about $100,000.00 that will meet those expenses given a certain timeframe. We feel that we can get them back to some semblance of normalcy. The citrus industry really took a great hit, when we flew over this morning. When we fly over the orchards it looks great but as the chopper went down all the fruits were on the ground; all the grapefruits and all the oranges were literally on the ground. The trees are up, a couple went down but all the fruits were on the ground. We gave an initial estimate and after speaking to the people from the industry they had narrowed it down, they are a little bit hesitant to come up with some figures for us obviously they were doing their assessments and so on but at the end of the day our ballpark estimate base on their experience we came up to 29.1 million dollars loss in the citrus industry."

In the face of all that destruction as we try to pick up the pieces one thing remains clear, no lives were lost, said Prime Minister Barrow, who gave his word on helping Belizeans to recover from their loss in Hurricane Richard:

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"I have re-confirmed with the minister and with the NEMO director that there is no death that is directory attributable to Hurricane Richard so we've come through this thing without loss of life and for that I think we must be extremely grateful. My job really is to find the money. My job really is to assure all those that have been affected especially in terms of their homes having been destroyed or their roofs having been flown off or at least zincs on the roofs having been lifted off. My job is to assure these people that each and every last one of them will have his or her home repaired or rebuilt as the case may be. Don't press me too hard on where the money is going to come from but I make a solemn commitment that in fact from the various sources that we have already look at we are going to find the money. we of course sympathize greatly with those that have suffered this kind of damage to their homes and to their property I want them to know that in addition to reconstructing homes or repairing homes for as long as is necessary NEMO is determined to assist in others ways; to assist with the where it all to assist with food packages, the people that were in the shelters throughout the country, in most cases were given a meal and this kind of outreach, this kind of assistance, this kind of looking after the welfare of our people will continue."

Channel 7

Storm stories…..

But the storm exceeded expectation, particularly in terms of storm surge. And in the yabra area that's pelt out disaster. Many of those homes are plywood or board and they are directly on the coast. When the storm it and the rising waters followed it was chaos for those resident's Monica Bodden spoke to a number of them today:….

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Last night when I look I see a building of mines just take away into the next building as you can see it back there; it destroyed most of the rooms that people are living in. Right now most of them lost partly everything, up to about 5-6 feet of gushing water from the sea."

Monica Bodden
"Have you ever experience a hurricane before? "

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I never, I only experience maybe storm, with Greta and a little storm in the 80s but nothing like this."

Monica Bodden
"You didn't expect it to be this bad."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I never really expect it. I know when I hear about a category 1 I hear that it wouldn't be devastated hurricane."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Frustrated."

Monica Bodden
"Where do you go from here?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Well I don't know. I have to just try and rebuild."

Monica Bodden
"What all did you loss."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"My pot, stove refridge, everything that I use to do my little business because I do a small business by Palm Island; I cook rice and beans & cow foot soup and sell there. I just have to try to rebuild and pick up the pieces from there."

Monica Bodden
"I am looking outside and I see your cooler, your table, your step....."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"My fire heart that I use to cook my cow foot; everything is just gone."

Monica Bodden
"How are you feeling right now?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Bad....emotional but you have to try be strong, you have life and you have to just left everything else to God. Without he we can't get anything. We have heath and strength we have life so I think we will make it. Somebody might be out there to try and assist me and help me at least to get back my pot, the stove, the refridge, I need those to start all over again. So anybody out there who know the niceness of the rice & beans and the cow foot, try reach out for me - Ms. Gayna."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I feel bad because it's God's work yes but I mean to say to see the condition of the house is in because its only me alone I don't have a husband to try clean up and so."

Monica Bodden
"Everywhere is full up with mud?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Yes the bedrooms both of them are full of mud."

Monica Bodden
"Where do you go from here?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Well I have to try and sleep here. We don't have any water as yet. My neighbor told me that he went to get salt water to wash out the mud from his house, that's is the same thing I want to do before the mud gets hard because we don't know when the water will come on."

Monica Bodden
"This is where your house was right?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Yes this same spot that we are standing here my house was. My house gone completely; See my flooring over there on the ground. That is my house top over there it was on top of another house that was crush. I just remove my house top from his house so that he could have moved his things. See my TV, stove over there, everything is broken up. Right now I am here and I want to build back something because my girlfriend is pregnant and I don't have anywhere to stay. I don't have anyone that I can stay right now. I am dread right now."

Monica Bodden
"So you don't have anywhere to go right now?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"There is nowhere we can stay right now. And If I wanted to built back something a small room from the little that is left I can't because I don't have any money not even to buy nail."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I am trying to get back on my foot so that I can have somewhere to stay. I am trying to get back by any means."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"All what I need is an assistance because right now I don't have anywhere to stay and I am a musician and I lost my drums."

Monica Bodden
"Your whole house gone?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Definitely, I would appreciate a help from anybody who could assist me."

Monica Bodden
"So nothing didn't stay, everything just gone?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Everything just wash away, I was right here too in that house."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Well see my house the little grey one. This house was all the way over here. The sea came up and takes the house away. So it's just a little assistance we need."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I might could be a man who can build a hammock in a tree and relax there once it's not raining but I can't have my girlfriend living in that way. I have to try and secure her someway safe when she wants to use the bathroom, have a nice safe bathroom that she can use. So I need that little assistance, anything that it takes to happen I will try help myself or if someone is there who can help me I will make them help me but you know how things go they usually say if people don't help you, you help yourself, which means that's it doesn't matter how or what you do to help yourself, you will do it."

Monica Bodden
"But emotionally you guys lose everything, you are just standing up on a spot where your house was. What's that like? You will have to start over."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"It really dread and it's very hard for you to think about just doing things upon your own self. We would really appreciate the help."

Victim of Hurricane Richard "We didn't realize that the water was rising. My gate pop open and so I plan to get pieces of string because my mind tell me not to use the chain because I don't want to chain in myself so I just take the piece of rope and I tie it and come back in the house, about half an hour later I said let me check outside again; I push it but I can't push the door, anyway I push the door and when I did that the water was already about two and a half feet, so I slam back the door and I tell her that we are in trouble now; the water come. So we just start to pack as much stuff as we can and I got the aluminum ladder and went to the attic. When I came again I wanted to see how far the water had reach, I could open the door at all it was like 3 stringer guys than me had the door clamp down and it was unlock and so we got our main belongings and put them together. I call one of my friend that works with me and he said that he will see how far his diesel van can come but I didn't hear from him again, he was helping because he call for help, but it seems that the water was too high for him to come and rescue. I said that I will give it one last try again and with all my strength I push open the door, the water was already like 4 feet and when I got on the street it was much higher. So we just start to walk in the middle of the street, I look at the sea just boiling over. It felt like you are watching a movie. Before I left I see my car doing a 360 and that was just because of the currents."

Monica Bodden
"At any point last night you guys thought that well you know this is it we are going to drown."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"No, I tell my friend because I felt that really. When I check the door I say ok that's it but before I will give it one last try and so I gave it one last try and that was it, we break loose and we got through it."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"It was an experience for us that we never experience before because we never see Belize like this before. We always thought that a hurricane was just something that you take for a joke but today we realize this hurricane has given us the full impact that hurricanes are not to play with."

Monica Bodden
"So you weathered out the storm where?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Well I was downstairs and after a period of time we had to move to the upper level of the building."

Monica Bodden
"Why you guys had to move?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Well the water was coming in so rapidly that even the bed was afloat and it was very frightening so this is something that I have to tell my grand children. I would want nobody to experience this type of living that I met when I came back downstairs, the mud was on the bed, my sheets, my clothes, everything was soaking wet, and we lose everything. What you see me wearing is all I have everything is gone, I hope that somebody can help us."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I was laying down in my bed listening to the music on the radio and I just doze off and I wake up to a lot of water. I open my door and a lot of water splash on me, I had to swim out and I run upstairs to Bishop and ask for help because too much water was coming. This is first hurricane I experience so I don't really know about it."

Monica Bodden
"Now, in that period of time that you was listening to the music and doze off. How long would you say before the water got so high?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I doze off for 15-20 minutes before I conscious that water was running and water in the hall way. Everything is wet up, the TV, everything gone."

Monica Bodden
"So when you jump out of bed how high did the water reach you?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"You can see the water level right there, it covered my bed."

Monica Bodden
"It's your first ever hurricane. What was the experience like for you?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"It was a bad experience; I hope I don't experience that again because I could have died here last night."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I was upstairs Miss and I saw the water getting high and my dog was on the chain so I had to go downstairs, the water reach me right here and I had to swim to get my dog because my dog could have drown because the dog was on the chain."

Monica Bodden
"Was the experience scary for you?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"Yes ma'am. Miss but I wasn't afraid I just jump off the step and swim for my dog."

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"My little girl and I were here and every minute she is peeping outside so I tell her to come in here to help me but she said that she don't want to help me because she is worrying about out there. She said come mom and see how all the sea gone, the water gone to only sand and when we look about halfway it was only land, dry land but I couldn't believe it because I had faith that storm wouldn't come and that it would go like how the others did. I was here trying to pack up things, putting the TV higher and when I peep out again I didn't see any water al all out here but when I when I climb to the window about 15-20 minutes after that is because I couldn't see anything, the electricity had cut off and I hear was blip blip under the house. Then I feel like the house was tearing apart, I hear bops; the back door fly open, we had it jam with 2 cement blocks and the bolt. When this door fly open I tell you I haven't been frightened all my life like that. I quickly ran from here, the stove was right here and the water pick it up and threw on the other side of the house. The water keeps coming in; one instance the water came right over my head. The water start to burst open the door and come in, I see everything start to float about I didn't have any choice all I manage to grab was a white sling bag. We stand up by the door and the house was raking, We were all praying, I couldn't pray anymore because I see all that was happening, I heard crack crack and I say to myself that I didn't have any choice, I had given up, so my baby sit there and said mom no give mom God will help us, so I start to walk up and down in the water while it slams me from side to side. I had to hold on to the things in the house so that I wouldn't end up through the back door. I hug up my baby and said they we will die together because there is no one to rescue us now. My baby said no mom don't give up, remember what you always tell me that you are a fighter; she said pray and she handed me a rosary, both of us hold on to the rosary and we start to pray "Our Father and Hail Mary" so after a little while I heard noises out there, the door was forcing its way to close and I was trying to pull it open, I heard my neighbor mouth and they were coming through the water to help us and I said thank God we are rescued. That is how they back us out from here."

Monica Bodden
"Who rescued you?"

Victim of Hurricane Richard
"I don't even know, I was so frightened. All I know is that it was 4 men."

And while those are the gripping personal storm accounts - there is also the official side of the story - the cost of Richard and the wide swath of wreckage that he cut - we'll have that when we come back …

Channel 7

The Sweep Of The Storm Threat

Expecting landfall in the Stann Creek district on Sunday Monica Bodden started her storm trek in Dangriga and tracked all the way back to the city. Here's her story:…

We first visited Dangriga where homes were shuttered as this coastal community was packing up and mobilized for the storm. Which according to the map was churning right above their community. The coast however suggested no sign of an imminent threat as the waves gently lapped on the beach.

Still, inside the coordinating center, it was buzzing with activity as the district emergency management organization was on high alert - with their priorities clearly laid out on bulletin boards and supplies properly stored up.

The Delisle Academy - was one of the designated shelters at the community shelter; it opened at 7:00 am and by noon when we visited more than a few families had already moved in, and others were arriving - bringing with them valuables, bedding and supplies to last three days. Thelma Lewis was there with seven grandchildren:

Howard Melendrez Shelter Manager Delisle Academy
"At present we have over 150 shelterers. Each class room we are trying to see how best we can have at least 50 persons within one of the classrooms. Up to this point we have 7 classrooms open and people are still coming in."

Thelma Lewis, Shelterer
"I am not sure if my house can take the winds when it blows so I come in time because I don't want to get hurt on the street when I am coming."

Monica Bodden
"What time you come this morning?"

Thelma Lewis, Shelterer
"I come about 10 am because I was cooking - baking bread and after that I come this side."

Monica Bodden
"So you are fully prepared for whatever?"

Thelma Lewis, Shelterer
"Yes, but the food that I bring that will not serve us for 3 days. I hope that they prepare for us when the time comes."

Monica Bodden
"Ms. Thelma you ever experience a hurricane or anything?"

Thelma Lewis, Shelterer
"Hmmm.. I had experience Hurricane Hattie, that was nothing nice."

Monica Bodden
"Now you know this one is almost a category 2 right."

Thelma Lewis, Shelterer
"Yes."

Monica Bodden
"Are you afraid? Are you panicking?"

Thelma Lewis, Shelterer
"I am not afraid and I don't panic. I just sit down and wait until it comes."

Howard Melendrez Shelter Manager Delisle Academy
"I must say that the cooperation from the residents are overwhelming they listen, they acted as we request and is going well so far."

Going well there and pretty much the same in Ladyville where at the police station, the phase two flags were flying in breeze that was picking up - and residents were already inside, bedded down they had clearly gotten the message:

Minister of State Michael Hutchinson
"Well definitely we have some areas in Ladyville that does flood. Its best when you sound the warning, the hurricane not only just come today from earlier in the week the media houses been telling people to move to higher grounds so those people by now know that this thing is coming they should evacuate themselves from those places. I think at the beginning people are relax but visiting the supermarkets here in Ladyville and in Belize City you see the people are moving, they are taking this thing serious and they are getting themselves prepared. Pretty much I think everybody is well aware of what is happening and have move to higher ground and those people that believe that their houses can endure the strength of the hurricane they are staying put. Nevertheless we are up and about."

No time to spare as by mid-afternoon the increasing winds had already snapped this branch off a tree and deposited it on the shoulder of the northern highway near Williamson Industries.

Monica Bodden
"As you can see we are just about the Haulover Bridge heaving towards Belize City. Out this side the winds are really picking up. I think it's about 50 miles per hour winds we are receiving up this side right now."

In the city the winds had uprooted signs and at the St. Luke's Methodist Shelter - where by 4:30 pm city residents were settling in for what looked to be a scary night

Deseree Swift, Shelter manager
"So far it's going ok as to people coming in and settling down. I am trying my best to get everybody as comfortable as they could possible could in these circumstances here."

Monica Bodden
"We are looking at how many shelterers?"

Deseree Swift, Shelter manager
"Right now in total we have over 175."

Rose Smith
"Right now we feel good, we get a good shelter and we are praying to God for this hurricane to be over and everybody be safe and loving. Our house has just been built but I don't think the house is really strong, the house is a low house so the best thing for us was to get a shelter because if we stay there and get hurt we can't blame anybody but ourselves."

In the St. Luke's yard a tree had already been uprooted sending shelterers a clear sign of what lay ahead.

And while those are some of our storm stories, due to time constraints, power outages, toppled towers and the like, we weren't able to get on all the interviews that we did today. So we'll have those tomorrow….

Before we close, we note that there will be no classes tomorrow in the Belize Cayo and Stann Creek districts while Toledo, Corozal and Orange Walk will have school.

School is expected to resume on Wednesday for the storm affected districts.

And it didn't get a great deal of coverage in the news but we note that the shelter sin Belize City were full during the passage of the storm. We're working on those numbers and hope to have them for you tomorrow.

Channel 7