AmbergrisCaye.com Home
Posted By: Marty Memories of Hurricane Keith - 10/25/11 10:52 PM
from a friend this morning....

Oh the memories. 11 years ago a Tropic Storm passed by and we didn't give it too much thought.. 12 hours later we were hit from behind by a category 3 & 4 hurricane that last 3 days. They eye went over us a number of times. We saw the hurricane hunters in the clear eye. Between times we had 150 mph winds from all directions. There were dead birds and lizards everywhere. The trees were stripped. Roofing tile imbedded into coconut trees, the noise was a never ending freight train, the rain was horizontal. After the storm our house was under 5 ft of water, mud and sludge, the roof was no longer water tight and we didn't regain electricity for eight weeks. No power meant no running water, no tv, no computer, no phone charging, no ice. Freshly bought groceries each day. Regaining a sense of normalcy took a while. Most of the island residents suffered PTSD for a year. During those 3 days we wondered how everybody else was faring. At one point the newscaster on the radio considered the possibility that everybody was dead in San Pedro and Caye Caulker. At the end of the day there were some awful stories and the stark reality set in - some of our friends and coworkers had not survived the storm and life has never been the same since. We are older, we are wiser, we are prepared and we are cautious.

Hey, not being catty here, just saying that this is not a time to be frivolous. Look around and see who need a little moral support and friend to lean on. We always want it to work out well and to end up being nothing, but we do all need each other at these time too.
Posted By: Marty Re: Memories of Hurricane Keith - 10/25/11 10:53 PM
another thought of Keith today....

I remember sitting on a friend's bed 11 years ago with all my cousins, having to swim to the kitchen if you wanted something to eat. and watching Michael del Valle's furniture floating by. I also remember our brave neighbour Mike Perez who swam over in the middle of it all to invite us over to his house as it was higher ground but there were too many kids and babies to risk it so we stuck it out as a family and we survived! I aslo remember loosing our home completely and having to start from scratch. I really hope Rina just keeps moving away! stay safe everyone!

===========================

11 years ago... I seem to remember that this was taken by WASA folks as soon as they could fly out to the island...



Aerial segment starts this part

Posted By: Marty Re: Memories of Hurricane Keith - 10/26/11 11:32 PM



Click photos for more pictures

Posted By: Marty Re: Memories of Hurricane Keith - 10/27/11 11:16 PM
http://www.ambergristoday.com/content/editorial-blog/2011/october/26/look-back-hurricane-keith
Posted By: SP Daily Re: Memories of Hurricane Keith - 10/27/11 11:19 PM
Painful to view even now....
Posted By: Marty Re: Memories of Hurricane Keith - 11/24/11 04:48 PM

VIDEO: Hurricane Keith

Vox pops from people who were impacted by Hurricane Keith in Belize during 2000. Filmed by Daniel Raven-Ellison in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye.

VIDEO #2:

Our geography teacher told us to create 'an informative video about the catastrophe that was Hurricane Keith'. See what you think!


Remembering Hurricane Keith 15 Years Later
Hurricane Keith slammed into Belize's northern islands of Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye on October 1, 2000 leaving a swath of destruction in its wake. While always wary of storms that venture nearby, the northern islands had not been hit by a Force 4 storm for close to 40 years. What began as a tropical depression on September 28, 2000. As the storm tracked westward, it continued to intensify and was upgraded to a hurricane on September 30. Shortly thereafter, Keith began to rapidly deepen, and peaked as a Category 4 hurricane less than 24 hours later. While islanders are always keenly aware of storms due to the high vulnerability of living on such a remote and low-lying island, it usually takes days for a storm to intensity. This one caught everyone off guard! The hurricane produced a 4 ft (1.2 m) storm surge from the west. Winds were unofficially estimated to have reached 125 mph (201 km/h) on the island. In the aftermath, downed trees and power lines blocked most roads. Keith damaged the roofs of about 90% of houses. About 50% of the houses in Caye Caulker were destroyed, with reports of only five dwellings still standing after the storm.

© Ambergris Caye Belize Message Board