Friday, October 13, 2000 -- The Belize Tourism Board estimates
that San Pedro should be operational by Thanksgiving weekend. Speed of
recovery varies, depending on the hotel, and while some areas will need a
longer time to recover, other hotels feel confident that they can provide
tourism services by late November. Electricity, water and telephone
communication have been restored to some areas on the island. The
dedicated effort of residents and volunteers to rebuild and renew the
beauty of San Pedro has been remarkable. Life in San Pedro is quickly
regaining a sense of normalcy. Spirits among residents remain high for
the
upcoming tourism season.

Recovery efforts on Caye Caulker are also showing steady progress. Much
of
the debris caused by the storm has already been cleaned-up and restoration
efforts are ongoing.

"The determination and persistency shown by the residents of San Pedro and
Caye Caulker throughout the obstacles faced by the effects of Hurricane
Keith continue to inspire me," comments Minster Mark Espat, Minister of
Tourism. "It re-affirms my belief that the tourism industry in Belize is
stronger than ever."

The government is committed to providing full assistance to both these
islands to ensure that they are ready for the upcoming winter tourism
season. Resort areas in Belize City and in the west and south were not
affected by the storm, and are fully operational. Tourists who have
current travel plans to any of these areas should not be affected. If
travel plans within the next month include San Pedro or Caye Caulker,
tourists should check with the individual property.
BELIZE TOURIST BOARD

Hummm. Thanksgiving in San Pedro, do you have any turkeys down there, I mean the bird kind!! LOL
vikki0101

Most assuredly there are turkey-birds--frozen, broad-breasted and ready-to-cook!

Should I interpret the BTB info as a request that visits to San Pedro prior to third week of November be cancelled?

I have one condo booking starting Nov. 6 and had not cancelled it because of Nellie's info re minimal damage to Paradise Villas.
But, if the BTB is asking that all visits be cancelled prior to late November, or if there is consensus that visitors will either interfere with reconstruction by utilizing resources need for reconstruction, or if the facilities available for dive, snorkel trips, restaurants, etc. are not sufficiently available for guests to enjoy themselves, I would of course cancel them.

Can someone with authority answer this question for me (and probably others want to know also....)???

Of course God does not send it but He allows disaster or things to happen for a purpose.When Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed He warned the people first ,when the flood in Noahs days He warned the people first.He says in the book of Joel in the Bible,Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful,slow to anger and of great kindness ,and He relents from doing harm,who knows if He will turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him.(Joel2:13&14.

Dear Mersal: I am glad that you take comfort in your beliefs. That's fine.
BUT: I hate to see this message board to turn into a forum for spouting the propaganda of various religious cults. It's one thing to tell someone that you are invoking your deity (whoever he or she or it may be) on their behalf, praying, affirming, etc., that's nice and shows you care.
But its quite another to spout cultic dogma and force those of us who are interested in sharing information on matters relating to the hurricane to read it as we scroll down.
I would not presume to expound from the Spiral Dance or Dreaming the Dark to the folks on this list, please do not inflict the dogma from your bibles on me. There's certainly many places on the net to discuss such matters and try to convince one another that this or that belief system is "correct" and all others not. But this board is not one of them, in my humble opinion.

Bar-B-Que'd turkey, hmmmm...I suppose with enough egg-nogg and cider, one wouldn't know the difference, would one???
Hey SandShaker, you got any coconuts left for the sweet potatoes???
E.

GO AWAY MERSAL I HEAR JIM JONES CALLING YOU

BAR-B-Q?
thats gonna take a lot of egg nog to be right.

i do hear jim jones calling. mersal, wanna get that?

Now, now, you heathens leave that poor, old Bible-thumper alone...she's almost got her flams and para-diddles right. If we can just get her to strap a cymbal to her butt...