BELIZE CITY, Mon. Aug. 19, 2024
Belizeans got an early scare from Hurricane Beryl, the earliest hurricane we have observed in decades, and thankfully, Belize was spared. We used to say, “June, too soon; July, stand by;” but this Miss Beryl was wreaking havoc in the Caribbean even before the end of June this year. According to weather.com, “Beryl gained Category 4 intensity Sunday morning, June 30, making it the record earliest Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin.” And further, it said that “On July 1, Beryl also became the earliest Atlantic hurricane on record with winds of at least 150 mph.” Indeed, this record breaker “explosively intensified from a tropical depression to major (Category 3+) hurricane in just 42 hours from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning.”
Some of our sister Caribbean nations took a beating from Beryl, but we were spared, thankfully. But we can’t afford to “drop our guard” in this celebration season. Indeed, it has been smooth sailing so far, as we approach that time of year, “September – remember”, when traditionally the hurricane threats tend to become more frequent. Meanwhile, our NEMO, the National Emergency Management Organization is reportedly at readiness to perform its role if the situation arises, in “disaster mitigation, response, recovery and reconstruction in Belize”.
While NEMO is geared to help deal with external threats of mother nature, like hurricanes and tornadoes and floods, etc., our citizens need to be aware and alert to another type of threat that lurks in unsuspecting places, especially with the explosion of social media and the availability of various types of gadgets – cell phones, tablets, etc., that can allow the tender minds of our young people to be exposed to some negative forces out there. An injury to a child is something that all parents try and avoid; but things still happen, and there will be bruises, and cuts, and sometimes even broken bones from falls or playing games of various sorts. Wounds of the flesh we can often handle at home with our traditional remedies, but some injuries require expert assistance from a doctor.
The most difficult injury to a young child for a parent to help in healing, however, is not that of the physical body, but that of the mind. In this age where more acknowledgement is given to the importance of mental health, and the vulnerability of all of us to things like depression and mental and emotional stress of different sorts, we all have to become more aware of the dangers that our young ones could face from “evil forces” trying to mess with their minds, and lead them into all kinds of negative directions. A few years ago there were rumours of some type of cult or satanic group leading some youngsters astray and even causing some to harm themselves.
The “national” in NEMO means that we all have to be on the lookout for one another and our children. “It takes a village to rear a child,” and it may take a national effort for us to keep at bay and in fact “put a brakes on” those who would try to lure young unsuspecting minds into realms of negativity or self-harm. Remove the “N” from NEMO, and there is reportedly this demonic group still operating secretly in our western regions and is ensnaring some youths in their unhealthy trap of mental submission to their evil intentions.
A parent who suspects that his child was battling with this problem has advised us to caution the public, and to be alert as this wicked group may be attempting to get rooted in other parts of the country. This sounds weird, but the evidence is real, in seriously troubled youths.
We all have to be concerned and on the lookout whenever any child runs away from home for whatever reason. And the NEMO inside all of us must join the national effort to safeguard and protect our children and youths, and help chase the wicked and evil forces from our Land of the Free.
