Hurricane Nana hits Belize as category 1, heavy winds and little rain to southern Belize

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Within days, Tropical Storm Nana quickly developed into the threat of a category one hurricane upon making landfall in Belize. This caused panic to spread throughout the nation as families did their best in preparing for whatever Nana would bring. Residents of communities along the country’s coast took special precautions, with a number of persons making their way inland or at least to higher grounds. The brunt of the winds and rain were forecasted to last some hours after midnight and into Thursday, September 3.
Thankfully for Belize City, there were only small bouts of gusty winds and intermittent rains, which fell before the storm was over. From all accounts across the city, the storm came and went without much ruckus except for fallen leaves and other debris. In southern Belize, it was another story. The areas of Hopkins and Placencia, both villages in the Stann Creek District, suffered the most storm activity starting at midnight. Winds of approximately 75 miles per hour (mph) was the cause for most of the destruction in southern Belize. While rains were forecasted to bring around ten inches of flooding over certain areas of the country, there was little rainfall associated with the storm. Assessments of the damage have shown a number of families in southern Belize without roofing to their homes and, in some cases, no homes at all. While a number of families were affected in these ways, there was a general sigh of relief as the country was spared from excessive flooding or otherwise destruction, including any loss of life.
The greatest impact has been to the country’s agricultural sector, with the banana industry, potentially one of the biggest industries in southern Belize, having suffered millions in losses. Acres of the crops were fallen due to the gusty winds of Hurricane Nana but a full assessment of damages is still being completed. Aside from the banana industry, corn and other farmers in remotes areas in the Toledo district have also been affected by the storm.