Tonight, all of Belize is facing a national flooding event - caused by the Hurricane Eta storm system.
Eta has moved on and is now a Tropical depression heading northeast to Cuba.
But, in her wake, there is widespread flooding - and some damage to national infrastructure. Fortunately there have been no reports of loss of life.
But, there is plenty loss of property and damage to residences and families dislocated by the flood.
The flooding started from yesterday but came on much heavier today - totally submerging San Ignacio as the Macal river was running in the streets. The nearby villages of Bullett Tree and Calla Creek were far worse and the BDF had to be brought in to assist with evacuation efforts.
Also out west, the new bridge near Roaring Creek held up, but the highway approaches to it were submerged in a massive rise of the river.
And in Succotz, the BDF also had to be deployed to assist in getting people to higher ground.
And while the greatest flooding is concentrated in the west, there are stories like this all across the country as NEMO reports roads that are flooded and or impassable are the Bullet Tree and Santa Familia roads, the Calla Creek road, Santa Rosa road to Calla Creek, More Tomorrow M & S road, Sittee River bypass to Hopkins, and the Coastal Road from Hope Creek to Gales Point junction. All crossings in the Cayo district are flooded or at risk to flood except the main crossings, Hawkesworth and the Santa Elena bypass (new) bridge.
Residents are evacuating as quickly as they can, in whichever form they can
As many as a thousand persons in the western corridor as well as parts of the south have been affected by the severe floods brought about by the outer bands of Eta. There has been no loss of life, but there is extensive damage to crops and property. In the west, floodwaters are beginning to recede, but today when we headed to the Belize River Valley, we found water gushing into homes as the river begins to spill over to unprecedented levels. Residents are evacuating as quickly as they can, in whichever form they can.
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