Residents of Santa Cruz, San Roman, San Antonio and Douglas Village in the Orange Walk District have had to adjust their daily routine to cope with an extremely wet September. The country has not seen an extended period of dry days since the month started and all communities along the banks of the major rivers are on flood alert.
The communities of Santa Cruz, San Roman, San Antonio and Douglas have been dealing with flash floods for several days and the water from the Rio Hondo River has covered the road leading to the villages and cut them off from the rest of the country. Residents of those communities are very familiar with flooding and have not allowed the inconvenience of nature to keep them from continuing their daily routine.
The residents start their day about an hour earlier. The National Emergency Management Organization has been in the area since Thursday, September 19th. Units of the Belize Defense Force River Patrol and Belize National Coast Guard are operating in the area. They have combined their resources along with civilian assistance to move residents across the water in boats and unto waiting buses. Elodio Aragon Sr., NEMO Coordinator for the North, explained that students are transported first and a free bus has been provided for them. After the students cross the water, the boats are available for individuals heading to their place of employment. After those priority groups are transported, other residents are assisted.
Residents of communities along river banks must remain alert as the National Meteorological Service is forecasting more rain in the upcoming days. The forecast for Thursday and Friday is for “isolated showers and isolated thunderstorms” and for Saturday the forecast is “a few showers and isolated thunderstorms inland and North”. Meaning, more rain is likely to pour down on the Rio Hondo River.
