Floods from Sara affecting villages in Rural Belize

Photo: Crooked Tree causeway under water (Photo 7 News)

“Crooked Tree, geographically speaking, is a catchment for the entire Belize River. So, all that water coming down from Guatemala, Benque, and Cayo will eventually find its way into our catchment in the lagoons around Cooked Tree, and then gradually ration it out to Belize City. So, the water will be here for a long time.” – George Tillett, Chairman of Crooked Tree Village.

Photo: George Tillett, Chairman, Crooked Tree

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Nov. 21, 2024

Tropical Storm Sara touched down in southern Belize on Sunday, and, as predicted by our meteorologists, it did not gain strength beyond a moderate tropical storm level; but it did fulfill prophecies of major rainfall with accompanied flooding, first in the westernmost areas of the country, and then following the crest of the Belize River toward the coast, its latest surge being felt with greatest impact in the village of Crooked Tree, where the causeway is today submerged and villagers are essentially cut off from the rest of the country, except by boat.

In a press conference following the passage of the storm on Sunday, Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon recalled their predictions on Sara that, “In terms of the general range of the forecast that we predicted, which is 5 to 10 inches with higher amounts, that was pretty much what occurred. In terms of winds, Tropical Strom Sara was going to be a rainfall event and the winds would be minimal, and that’s exactly what we got. The system came ashore with relatively minimal winds; we had some gusts [and] the highest gust I saw was 41.1 knots converted [to] about 47 miles per hour,” he mentioned.

Nevertheless, it was a very wet weekend throughout Belize as Tropical Storm Sara caused severe flooding in certain parts particularly in the Cayo District.

Photo: Hawksworth Bridge

Meanwhile, Tenielle Hendy, Chief Hydrologist at the National Hydrological Service highlighted that all three major dams in Belize—Chalillo, Mollejon, and Vaca—were spilling over due to heavy rainfall associated with approaching TS Sara. Around noon on Sunday, November 17, TS Sara made landfall in Dangriga Town; however, even before the storm arrived, Benque Viejo Town and its surrounding communities in the Cayo District were already experiencing massive flooding, and downtown San Ignacio Town received major flooding.

“We see that the historical height we have recorded is 10 meters; the levels are approaching that 10 meters at the Hawksworth Bridge. The water level is now in the Welcome Center at San Ignacio. For context, for the extreme portion, we are seeing it downstream at the Roaring Creek Bridge in Belmopan,” she said.

“As per the flood forecast, we’re seeing that the flooding will undoubtedly affect most of the country, meaning the central and northern regions. What we need to emphasize is that it will not be today, it will be for the upcoming days and we are expecting additional rainfall throughout the week,” Hendy added.

Photo: Rancho Dolores bridge under water (Photo: 7 News)

As Hendy mentioned, flooding was expected to occur in the central and northern regions of the country by mid-week, which has now become a harsh reality as farming communities such as Douglas Village in Orange Walk; Roaring Creek and More Tomorrow, as well as Santander and Valley of Peace in the Cayo District; and Rancho Dolores and Crooked Tree in the Belize District are today experiencing major flooding, with Crooked Tree perhaps being the worst affected.

“When Tropical Storm Nadine struck probably a couple of weeks ago, the northern section of the country experienced the most rainfall. Because of that, our lagoon was almost at its capacity with water; so, with Sara coming in with all this rain, it just created the catastrophe which causes the flooding in our area,” said George Tillett, Chairman of Crooked Tree Village.

T.V. news today showed the causeway under water, with even buses facing difficulty to reach the village which is back to being an island.

“We are still in the process of evacuating people in the low-lying area to higher grounds. So far, we have moved about five or six families to private shelters. I say ‘private shelters’; we do have a disaster shelter, but that is only equipped for probably an overnight stay, maybe during a hurricane or something like that; and after the storm, it’s over, you go back home… So, people are choosing to go to private homes in the village that are on higher ground that are vacant to weather out the storm; because they will be there for about a month to six weeks or even more, depending on how long the water stays here, because Crooked Tree, geographically speaking, is a catchment for the entire Belize River. So, all that water coming down from Guatemala, Benque, and Cayo will eventually find its way into our catchment in the lagoons around Cooked Tree, and then gradually ration it out to Belize City. So, the water will be here for a long time,” he added.

Tillett mentioned that students and workers commute during the week from the village to Belize City via buses; however, with the immense flooding reaching the second step at the entrance of the buses on their departure Thursday morning, it is dangerous to return to the village.

When we spoke to Tillett, NEMO had not yet arrived at the village to help, but he said the Belize Coast Guard has assured him with help. Nevertheless, he remains confident that assistance will arrive, as he was assured by the area representative, Hon. Marconi Leal.

A press release at 6:17 this evening from the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) assured that crisis areas are being addressed. According to the release, NEMO “has activated its teams and deployed resources nationwide to assist those affected by recent adverse weather conditions.”

Specifically, “The Belize Defence Force (BDF) and Belize Coast Guard (BCG) have assisted residents of Flowers Bank and Rancho Dolores using Hino vehicles and flatbed vessels, respectively.” “Regional teams in Cayo and Belmopan are assessing flood-affected areas and distributing immediate humanitarian aid, supported by BDF soldiers and additional transportation resources.” And “The BDF and BCG are preparing to assist with transportation for residents of Freetown Sibun and Crooked Tree Village once assessments are complete.”

Finally, “NEMO assures the public that efforts will continue until all affected communities have been reached. Please stay informed through official channels for further updates and safety advisories.”

“For emergencies, call NEMO’s hotline at 936.”