Tonight, a waterlogged Belize is in its sixth day of record flooding, the highest water many have seen in decades.

The Cayo District was no doubt hit the hardest - and we'll take you there later on in the news.

But tonight, the story is in the Belize District where the waters are now coming down from Cayo. Multiple villages are now at risk of severe flooding.

Courtney Menzies has the story from the sky, and the ground.

It's been almost a week of enduring Eta's wrath and while the storm did not actually hit Belize, the damage it caused was monumental.

The floodwaters that devoured San Ignacio, Calla Creek, and other Cayo Villages are slowly receding. Areas further south, in the Stann Creek District, are now free of flooding. According to Edmund Castro, NEMO can now begin their damage assessment in those areas.

Edmund Castro, NEMO Minister
"Hopkins, Dangriga area, Hope Creek and Sarawee - the water pretty much disappeared already - run off to the sea. In the Cayo District we still have some homes under water, but most of the people are beginning to get back into their rhythm of life. People couldn't even move from Roaring Creek to get to Belmopan to work. Now the traffic is okay, people could go from Cayo to Belize City and throughout the country - all the main arteries are open, so that's not a problem. Once people can commute and people can move and go to work, then that starts to ease the burden and the pressure that is placed upon them."

With those communities are almost out of the flooded woods, the water has continued along its path until the water eventually empties out. Castro explained the route that the water is taking through villages in the Belize River Valley. NEMO is on the ground assisting with evacuations.

Edmund Castro, NEMO Minister
"The same water that we were advising people on left from the Cayo District and there is only one way out and it's now in the Belize River Valley area starting from Rancho and Lemonal. Over the past from Thursday/Friday when it hit the Roaring Creek and the other villages in the Cayo District - now that water is trickling down, moving away from the Cayo District, so now we would be able to send the assessment team out in the Cayo District to see the damage assessment that was done in terms of homes, in terms of livestock, agriculture and so on. Now the water is now in Rancho Dolores whereby you can't see the bridge, not even the rail of the bridge. So the water came up significantly and still rising. So Rancho Dolores itself is about 80% affected. Almost everybody in Rancho has been affected and those on the Rancho Road have to evacuate out of their homes. So we have deployed one of the Colombian vessel that the coast guard has to go and rescue and render assistance to the people in the Rancho Dolores area."

"Also in the Lemonal area we have massive flooding. I think similarly about 70-75% if the people in the Lemonal area is now being affected by this flood and this water will run down all the way down pass Flowers Bank, Bermudian Landing, Grace Bank, Davis Bank. Crooked Tree and try to full up that basin. The Crooked Tree basin was relatively low, so you could still contain a large number of the water that will be coming down. However, the causeway in the back lagoon is over the causeway. It's only a matter of time the water will start to circulate out of the back lagoon. Because first it was going from Black Creek into the Crooked Tree Lagoon, now it's already full up in the back of the lagoon. So now that will circle down to the front of the lagoon causing us problems possibly flood the main artery into Crooked Tree. So it's a chain reaction. The one from Crooked Tree Lagoon spil to the Mexico Lagoon go try to find its way to the sea and the rest of the excess will go to the Belize River and find themselves along the Lord's Bank, Ladyville down to the mouth of the Belize River."

Persons in Rancho Dolores who were sheltering at the school compound were evacuated to the community center, as the compound was also beginning to flood. Castro advises residents living in low-lying areas, or those near rivers and streams, to start moving to higher ground to avoid being trapped in their homes.

Channel 7


The Cayo District has seen the worst of Hurricane Eta’s remnants. Over the next few days those living in the Belize River Valley and even at mile 8 on the George Price highway will be getting their share of the flood waters. That is because the water which is currently seeking an exit into the sea will pass through these communities.

LoveFM