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We can only add our own update as we get information and from what we are observing living further south on the island. Many families have left the island, particularly those living in low lying areas or in vulnerable homes. The cats from SAGA are now being cared for safely in a concrete building. Boats have been pulled out of the water and many condos and houses are now boarded up. We all feel pretty confident right now that we will just get tropical storm force winds and high water, but that could change in an instant so we are preparing for the worst. Our lovely friend is in Dominican Republic right now visiting friends. We send out big love to her right now. We are also thinking about Jamaica and sending good vibes their way. This is unlikely to be the only storm we'll experience this year, so even if we don't get whacked hard, it is a great dress rehearsal for those of us who haven't lived on AC long enough to have survived a hurricane here.


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Taco Girl thats great info.
I've been here for quite a few of these events and have a couple of things to add.
The Banks have a different evacuation policy than everyone else and bail early. Belize Bank closed up one year earlier than most people could get some cash out. When customers tried to get money out in other parts of the country from the Belize Banks they where told they couldn't because records of there accounts could not be accessed due to the San Pedro branch closing.Moral of this is get cash out now.
The second thing is Big Rubber Boots, those Big black boots you see around are invaluable if walking through water and muck for days.Dry healthy feet are good to keep you from getting all kinds of health problems. wink


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collyk #245374 08/18/07 09:01 AM
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Hello Ambergris Caye,

We were there on your lovely island Aug 4th - 5th. My thoughts and prays go out to all of you. I know many of you can prepare for this hurricane, but what happens to the ones who don't have the means.
While on the island we traveling on the North and South part of the island. We saw many people that would not have the means to evacuate. The island is so flat I could see the water surge going over the whole island if the conditions were right. I have seen this happen here in Florida many hurricanes.
It sounds like many of you are staying as I have been reading your messages.
When Ivan came through Florida years ago. My husband, the boy scout he is, prepared for 3 weeks of food and water -knowing we would be without power for a long time. We were the lucky ones. We were only without power for one week. Many others went without power for several weeks and into the months.

Keep us all posted on this site....as there are many readers on this board who care about all of you!

Take care,
All the Best,
Ruth

Last edited by Ruth1; 08/18/07 09:03 AM.
Ruth1 #245376 08/18/07 09:39 AM
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Many of these people are already evacuating the island. Avoiding the rush is a very smart thing. When it is neccesary for people to evacuate, the water taxi does not charge a fee or charges very little. The airlines also cuts their rates by about 90% in the event the island needs to be evacuated. I remember for Wilma, there was a line up at tropic air all the way down to Monchos.
Thankfully, we are not at this stage yet and all the computer models now show it going north http://www.weatherunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200704_model.html. but still too soon to let our guard down.

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Y'all take care of yourselves down there, our prayers are with you.

JZB #245378 08/18/07 09:46 AM
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Many blessings going out to Tropic Air and Maya Island Air and Water Taxi's helping all.

Please keep all of us informed on weather conditions on the island.

All the Best,
Ruth

collyk #245379 08/18/07 09:50 AM
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Elbert's comment is really useful - you do need cash, and small denominations are better than large.
Rubber boots and/or hard-soled shoes - a must.
Also recommend extra ropes, axe and crowbar.

Communications are another interesting aspect of an event like this ............ if your house is like our house, the phone rang a bunch last night right after CNN or TWC got excited about Dean. Soon the phone lines for Belize will be jammed up and that will freak out your family more than even a Fox News live-hystericast.
Suggest that you select one contact person who is out of country, and out of the path of energency. Have that one person be your one outside contact - in the event of a problem, you call them (not the other way round) and people can call this contact person instead of trying to get through to Belize. Once that contact tree is established, inform friends and family.

other things you may not have done yet ........... back up computers now - put important items on a couple of discs or sticks or whatever, put in ziplock bags and stash in safe (dry)places.

AC is not likely to get hit by Dean -- but there are inconveniences that can happen anyway --------- shipping can be disrupted and that can result in shortages of things you really need ......... in particular medications, contact lenses, gas and diesel. Put some extra away today.

We like to have fresh water easily available if power crashes, which it will do in a storm. Suggest two or three clean plastic trash cans --- one in kitchen, another in bathroom(s) --- take hose and fill them with freash water.

From what I can tell, NEMO has it's act together - and they say we're reasonably clear of danger - thanks Jim !

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A phone trick
If you happen to run out of cell phone credit and stores are boarded up if the phones are still working start leaving messages/updates as a greeting for your voice mail . there is no charge and it keeps working even after the phone credit runs out.
Diane I'm staying Kate and I have a global phone as well that doesn't depend on anything local if you need something.


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elbert #245385 08/18/07 12:10 PM
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Elbert we have to quit meeting like this.

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yeah the path is sliding north again this am

[Linked Image]

http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_pages/tc07/ATL/04L.DEAN/ssmi/gif/full/Latest.html

[Linked Image]

http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/omd/ops/weather/plots/storm_04.gif

James Janmohamed is NEMO commander for Cayes and he will issue evacuation
orders if necessary. I have not received a US alert. Caye Caulker has set
up a network with the hotels for evacuation of tourists. If an evacuation
is ordered, it is mandatory that ALL tourists must leave Cayes. Tourists
names and nationalities will be forwarded to their respective embassies
advising their movement from the cayes to the mainland.

Below is an interview with Mr. Jim:
San Pedro prepares for evacuation
When the Coast Guard boats arrive at San Pedro tomorrow they will be
visiting the community that is the most susceptible to hurricanes in all of
Belize. The reason? That same close-in reef and proximity to deep blue water
that make Ambergris Caye such a paradise for divers and fishermen also makes
it extremely vulnerable to waves and storm surge. Even a hurricane whose
winds never touch the island-like Mitch in 1998-can damage or destroy almost
every pier on the caye. This afternoon News Five's Stewart Krohn spoke to
the NEMO Coordinator for San Pedro and Caye Caulker, Jim Janmohamed.

James Janmohamed, NEMO Coordinator for San Pedro and Caye Caulker
"Stewart, you now realize that this is still not hit our preliminary
phase line, but however, with living on an island, because of the narrow
opportunity of evacuation, we have already started our meetings with both
islands with their emergency committees, San Pedro Emergency Committee and
Caye Caulker Emergency Committee. We have both been on radio to inform our,
both the island residents that the storm of course, is approaching, and to
start getting their plans in motion and getting out, and start revising them
and to see that what they're gonna do and how they gonna do it. The
decisions for evacuations will probably be made late Saturday. We are in
process, at the moment, of sending advisory to all the hotels, what to tell
their tourists. This morning, we realized that some of the tourists in St.
Lucia had been stranded because they made a decision to move themselves a
little too late, and they were no aircrafts flying in, so they got stranded.
And Jamaica has already started to empty it's tourists out, so I think by
tomorrow morning, or late tomorrow afternoon, we will decide to evacuate our
tourists first and maybe that might happen as early as tomorrow afternoon or
as late as Sunday morning."

Stewart Krohn
"In the town itself, are people starting to board up windows, and
otherwise prepare themselves?"


James Janmohamed
"Yea, as you drive through there're certain people are boarding up,
certain hotels have already taken it upon themselves to remove the tourists
and release their staff. However, we haven't given that notice of evacuation
to anybody at the moment. It would be rather too early."

Stewart Krohn
"Jim, when the time comes-if the time comes-where you have to do a
mass evacuation of the island, do you have the air capacity and boat
capacity to get everyone who want to go, off the island?"

James Janmohamed
"Yes, Stewart, once we tell them that they have to evacuate, we have
ample time for evacuation and the aircraft, and the boats will be able to
bring them out. However, the only problem we always face is with
procrastinators, once they decide to procrastinate and not come out on time,
then of course, we get into trouble. But if the people start to move when we
tell them to, I believe we have the capacity to move them out."

Stewart Krohn
"By the way, where do you move them to?"

James Janmohamed
"We've tried various evacuation points and the only one that seems to
work the best is Belize City, the reason being that lot of the people have
family and friends who pick them up and take them wherever they going. They
feel more comfortable to be in a city where there is a bus transportation to
various directions of the country. And lot of the people that evacuate from
San Pedro of course are not indigenous to San Pedro, but are from Cayo,
Corozal, Orange Walk, Punta Gorda and Dangriga. "

Those boats and planes, it must be remembered, must also find shelter
for themselves once they complete their critical evacuation work.

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