by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Nov. 28, 2024
Last week, it was reported that most of Crooked Tree Village in the Belize District was submerged under water that flooded the area following the downpour of Tropical Storm Sara, thus making it difficult for village residents to commute without the assistance of boats. Several days later, Burrell Boom Village and surrounding villages were also inundated by the high-rising water from the Belize River which spilled over into homes and covered the village’s main entrance, making it impossible for lower vehicles to enter.
Amandala visited the Burrell Boom Village on Wednesday afternoon, November 27, and while it was impossible for us to go as far as we had planned into the interior of the village due to the high water level, we saw several homes underwater and residents using canoes to leave their homes.
A village resident told Amandala that although the water level is not as high in his yard as it is in some other yards, he is concerned about the level of the water, which could potentially cover the adjoining roads in the next few days.
Hubert Carcamo, a longtime resident of Burrell Boom, described his own experience to Amandala.
“We have to use our means of transit which are canoes. So far, how has it affected us? The inside of the house has about 2 feet of water, so the good thing about it was we got a head start to elevate everything. Other than that, we have to see what will be the result of this; but so far, [it] don’t look like it’s going down; it looks like it’s rising more than anything else,” he said.
“… We have a [two-story] house, but the upstairs isn’t an area that you can take beds there; it doesn’t have any roof or anything on it as well. In that case, we have to find a way to move out of the area and see if we could work,” he added.
Photo: Bar at Black Orchid Resort suffers from flood waters
Amandala visited Black Orchid Resort where its owner, Douglas Thompson, told us that since opening his business in 2005, this has been the third flooding he has experienced.
“This is our third time dealing with flooding from the river. 2008 was the worst so far. 2020 was worse than this. So, it seems to be receding, and it has done enough damage as is, but we are fortunate it doesn’t get any higher. Whatever we are experiencing is already on the ground and not raining. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that this is it, and maybe [in] a week or week and a half the water should be gone,” he said.
According to Thompson, despite the flooding, most guests did not cancel their stay or leave early. However, work has to be done to restore the structures of the establishment, and several planned events will have to be canceled or postponed.
Thompson noted that he has been receiving less guidance and advisories from government departments than he had received in previous years.
“What we don’t have this time … then, what we had in the past is government. I don’t [know] what department it was; they used to call every day and talk to us about the height of the water, and give us an idea of what to expect. In this instance, we don’t have any knowledge of how much water to expect. It could have been much higher than this, but we could have known from the experience instead of by information provided by some department that should be able to [advise] us on the ground. We got nothing. I’m not trying to criticize the government, but they could have done a better job of monitoring and informing people. This flood is going to be in Belize City; there is no question about it. How much water and when? They should be telling Belize City residents who are in the zones that get flooded,” he said.
Carcamo also said that there has not been a sufficient NEMO presence in the village during the flooding. However, today, Thursday, Amandala reached out to the chairman of Burrell Boom Village, Anselm Gillett, who informed us that members of NEMO had arrived at the village and were helping some residents.
“We try our best fu move who wahn move, but Belizean people stubborn. So, you can’t force anybody but thank God, [it] looks like the water is going down now, so I’ll give it another week before the water goes back to normal. If, there isn’t any other rain,” he said.
Photo: House in Crooked Tree Village in the Belize District
As previously mentioned, Crooked Tree Village was the first rural community to experience major flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Sara, forcing commuters to use boats. It was reported last week that the operators of the commuters’ regular bus had refused to return to the village because water levels had reached the second step of the bus.
According to George Tillett, chairman of Crooked Tree, over 100 persons, consisting of workers and students at various levels, normally commute daily via the buses from Crooked Tree across the causeway to the main road and on to the Philip Goldson Highway and their destinations which are mostly in Belize City; but with the floods, they need to be ferried by boats from Crooked Tree island through the length of the causeway to the main road, so they must exit the village by boat as early as 4:00 a.m. to ensure a seat on the bus that waits at the main road junction with the causeway.
As of the publishing of this article, Crooked Tree is still inundated, but an estimated 5 inches of water have receded since yesterday. Nonetheless, Tillett mentioned that “the island” has been split into five smaller other islands due to some parts being submerged while other areas of higher ground remain above water level; and he expects that vehicles will not be able to enter the village for the next 4 to 5 weeks. Tillett highlighted that as a result of the flooding, an estimated 7 individuals have been placed into shelters, with the possibility of them residing there for the next month or more.
In addition to the inundated portions of Crooked Tree and Burrell Boom, some low-lying areas of the Lords Bank community have also become flooded, forcing some residents to evacuate.
The National Hydrological Service issued a flood forecast at 1:03 p.m. today, highlighting that flood levels are expected to continue decreasing from the Belize River at More Tomorrow; while at Double Run, increasing flood stage levels are approaching historical TD16 levels. Regarding the Crooked Tree Lagoon, it reported that water levels have exceeded the causeway and continue increasing. The department advises residents to monitor waterways and exercise extreme caution.
