At a luncheon meeting last Thursday,
the message from the United States Embassy was firm in their
recommendation of what to do in the event of a hurricane, "Get off the
island quickly!" In attendance were Ambassador Carolyn Curiel, Deputy
Chief of Missions Mary Witt, Consul David Chang, Ambergris Caye's US
Wardens Wil Lala and Niesje Province and forty-plus US citizens.
Based on information obtained, the Embassy evacuation
to inland points of Belize is ordered if the Belize Meteorological Office
(BMO) estimates that a Category II hurricane with sustained winds of 86 -
110mph is likely to strike Belize. Convoys assemble for evacuation in the
city at the Peace Corps building parking lot at 2882 Coney Drive with an
alternate of the Karl Heusner Hospital. Air evacuation location is the
Phillip Goldson International Airport. Evacuation to the United States
will be ordered if the storm is Category II or better with winds of
110mph likely to strike Belize City. As a general rule, evacuation to the
US by commercial charter or military aircraft will be ordered once the
BMO estimates the storm is that severe and that it will likely strike
Belize City and/or close the airport within 48 hours. (According to the
Belize Airport Authority, Maya Island and Tropic Air, airports will close
based on a number of variables including wind speed over
40mph.)
It is important to remember, evacuation is strictly
voluntary; no one can be forced to go. It was mentioned to be sure that
you have sufficient US cash on hand and a valid passport in case
evacuation is necessary. If you plan to go to the US, you have an option
to book your flight with a commercial airline in advance or make
reservations with the Embassy for chartered flights out. If you choose to
take the US charter, Ambassador Curiel gave a "ball park" estimated cost
of a chartered flight to the US as $600US for one-way flights to Houston
or Miami, depending on weather situations. She informed those present
that US citizens requesting the government charter would be given
preference over others. When questioned about US citizens with Belizean
spouses and/or families and whether they would be given preference on
government chartered flights, the Ambassador replied that it would be on
a first-come first-serve basis for all foreigners, only if there is room
available after all US citizens are boarded. She further stated, "We
guarantee the best efforts to get our citizens out of danger." This
conversation brought up the subject of US citizens registering with the
US Embassy. The Embassy representatives assured those attending they do
not contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) with this information. All information given to them
is covered under the "Right to Privacy Act" and is not to be exchanged
with ANY other government agency.
A suggestion was made to include an
e-mail address as well, to assist in mass communication. Whether a person
is leaving or not, they should notify the Warden so friends and family
can locate them. A further recommendation was that the Embassy contact
the Weather Channel and CNN for warnings to Belizeans. The Ambassador
agreed and encouraged anyone with evacuation ideas to contact the Embassy
at 02-77161.
One of the only other concerns dealt with animals. The
Embassy stated they will not be evacuating any animals on their
government chartered flight. Tropic Air confirmed they will provide
transportation for animals to the mainland, but it would be up to the
owners from there. Maya Island stated their policy regarding animals, as
people first-animals last. Also mentioned was both Maya Island and Tropic
Air have had negotiations with the Belize Government to allow them to fly
throughout the night to International Airport for evacuation purposes.
The procedures to be followed were outlined as the
Consul will initiate notification of the private US community via the
warden system. They in turn will notify US citizens by media, Internet,
or other appropriate means to keep the community fully informed of the
situation. The San Pedro Wardens urge those who have cellular phones or
who do not have listed phone numbers to contact them in the near future.
Niesje Province can be contacted at e-mail: [email protected] or 026-2341;
Dr. Wil Lala can be reached at email: [email protected] or 026-2715. The
Embassy has been instructed to confirm that answering machines at their
base are operational and contain the correct forwarding information for
US citizen inquiries if the Embassy is evacuated.
According to the US Embassy's Hurricane Plan booklet,
"in accordance with Department guidelines, information
given to the private US citizen community must parallel both in timing
and in content that being passed to the official
community. Whenever a decision is made to draw down or
evacuate Embassy personnel because of danger, this decision must be made
public immediately and included in the country's travel advisory.
The post must ensure that private US citizens have access
to the same facilities to leave as Embassy personnel and dependents.
(State 198403 dated 26 October, 1998)."
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