TUESDAY, 21ST AUGUST 2007:
Dear Friends;
The Prime Minister, in his capacity as Chairman of the
National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), through NEMO's
Coordinator retired Lt.Col. George Lovell Sr. has, as of 12:20 p.m. today,
officially issued the ALL CLEAR declaration for all of Belize in the wake of
Hurricane Dean.
Technical teams have subsequently been dispatched to San Pedro Town as
well as to the Orange Walk and Corozal Districts which are believed to be
most affected by the hurricane.
With the ALL CLEAR declaration, the situation has therefore reverted to
normal as employees are preparing to return to work.
In Belize City and the northern towns of Orange Walk and Corozal, the
respective town councils are now engaged mostly in the clearing of fallen
trees in their respective municipalities.
Although there has been no report of loss of life or major displacement of
persons, the Minister of NEMO has nevertheless announced the deployment of
Search and Rescue teams.(search for whom and rescue whom, probably only the
minister knows)
The Mayor of Orange Walk town is reporting minimal damages in that
municipality. In the meantime NEMO's Orange Walk coordinator Netty Johnson
confirmed that there are no casualties in the Orange Walk District. Johnson
reported that over 2,200 persons were accommodated in town shelters and
another 1,000 in village shelters throughout the 26 villages in the
district.
According to Johnson, NEMO Orange Walk is now engaged in damage assessment
and needs analysis particularly in the villages of Douglas and Santa Martha
as well as assisting those few residents whose homes were demolished in the
wake to Hurricane Dean.
According to Netty Johnson, NEMO Orange Walk is now preparing to deal
with flooding conditions that could follow in the villages of Douglas and
San Antonio on the banks to the Rio Hondo River which flows out of
neighbouring Mexico.
In terms of the San Pedro scenario, after sustaining almost 6 hours of
strong winds, no major damage was reported, according to San Pedro's NEMO
Coordinator James Mohammed.
As in Orange Walk, several streets in San Pedro were blocked by fallen
trees. Mohammed reports that a few local power lines were down. The major
damage in San Pedro comes, according to Mohammed, by way of extensive
damages to about 85% of the town's piers with whole sections of piers flung
on beaches in several areas of the town.
Mohammed further reports minimal damages to dwelling places in the
community. He said that Caye Caulker emerged in a better position than San
Pedro Town as there is very little damages to piers in Caye Caulker.
Mohammed reports no loss of life in the area.
San Pedro is currently without electricity and therefore the community
sewer, which requires electricity to pump the sewer from station to station,
is not working. San Pedro NEMO is therefore requesting the gradual return
of evacuees while power is being restored.
According to Mohammed, it should take no more a few weeks for life in San
Pedro to fully return to normal.
Thus far no official word out of the northernmost District of Corozal
which is believed to have been the hardest hit community.