DAY 3 Post-Hurricane Dean Report - Corozal, Belize
Well, here it is Day 3 following Hurricane Dean's strike and there is still no electricity anywhere in the Corozal District of Belize. BEL, Belize's power monopoly, announced last night that it will be two weeks until power is restored. (It has already restored power to 80% of Orange Walk, and 90% of San Pedro.)
What's worse: there's still no running water. This is a so-far unacknowledged problem (unacknowledged, that is, by the Government of Belize) that could pose a tremendous health risk to the people of the district.
However, Jim and Melanie Voris report that if you open your water taps all the way, and leave them open for a couple of hours, then a trickle of water will emerge. I don't know if this means that water service has been partially restored but at low pressure, or if they had standing water in the pipes of their house ... I suppose it's worth a try, but I'd certainly be careful with any water that does flow as it is undoubtedly contaminated to some degree.
AP Photo from Yahoo! France- Aug. 21 BDF soldiers clearing debris in Corozal's town square
The good news is that land-line telephone service has now been fully restored across the Corozal district. If your friends & family members had a land-line before the storm, try it now. However, if you have not called Belize before, I strongly recommend you check with your long distance provider to find out the rates before you dial. Because of the Belize telephone monopoly's extortionate surcharge on both incoming and outgoing long distance calls, you may get a nasty surprise ... MCI, for example, charges in excess of $5.00 US per minute to call Belize. (And don't forget that's a land-line rate; calling a Belize cell phone costs 3 times more.) I suppose it would be too much to ask for BTL to reduce its rates as a form of hurricane relief or compassion!
Speaking of price gouging, I've had reports that several stores in Corozal Town are charging hugely inflated prices for basic food and repair supplies. Most common items are still in short supply: a friend reports waiting in line for 2-1/2 hours today to get one bag of ice that cost nearly $10 US.
According to Belize's Channel 7 News, there are 180 people in shelters in Corozal Town, and 90 people in one small shelter in the village of Chan Chen. While government aid has so far failed to materialize, the Red Cross delivered blankets, empty food pots and empty water containers to the Chan Chen shelter. Unfortunately, there is no food or water to fill them. Anita Zetina, Chair of the Belize national emergency management organization (NEMO) Relief & Supplies Committee, told Channel 7 that NEMO has the food and supplies people need ... but I suppose it's just a question of whether any of it will be delivered to the homeless hurricane victims, and, if so, when. Meanwhile, NEMO is asking for cash donations. If you wish, you may contribute to their "Hurricane Dean relief fund account" at the Belize Bank, account number is 695-1-1-69733.
I've also had my first report from Chetumal. Roger Duke, whose home is on Chetumal Bay, writes that he feels blessed to be alive, but that Chet looks like a bomb hit it. Rumor has it that thousands are homeless in and around Chetumal. Also, he heard that the enormous concrete pier built at Majahual to allow cruise ships to dock has split into pieces. I've asked Roger to send some pictures from Chetumal, but right now he's busy chainsawing the uprooted remains of his 2 giant avocado trees.
This Reuters photo shows post-Dean street flooding in the lagoon-side community of Bacalar, Mexico, just NW of Chetumal.
As always, feel free to email me with new info or questions: margaret (at) localgringos (dot) com.
--Margaret (a.k.a. MaggieBelize)
What's worse: there's still no running water. This is a so-far unacknowledged problem (unacknowledged, that is, by the Government of Belize) that could pose a tremendous health risk to the people of the district.
However, Jim and Melanie Voris report that if you open your water taps all the way, and leave them open for a couple of hours, then a trickle of water will emerge. I don't know if this means that water service has been partially restored but at low pressure, or if they had standing water in the pipes of their house ... I suppose it's worth a try, but I'd certainly be careful with any water that does flow as it is undoubtedly contaminated to some degree.
AP Photo from Yahoo! France- Aug. 21 BDF soldiers clearing debris in Corozal's town square
The good news is that land-line telephone service has now been fully restored across the Corozal district. If your friends & family members had a land-line before the storm, try it now. However, if you have not called Belize before, I strongly recommend you check with your long distance provider to find out the rates before you dial. Because of the Belize telephone monopoly's extortionate surcharge on both incoming and outgoing long distance calls, you may get a nasty surprise ... MCI, for example, charges in excess of $5.00 US per minute to call Belize. (And don't forget that's a land-line rate; calling a Belize cell phone costs 3 times more.) I suppose it would be too much to ask for BTL to reduce its rates as a form of hurricane relief or compassion!
Speaking of price gouging, I've had reports that several stores in Corozal Town are charging hugely inflated prices for basic food and repair supplies. Most common items are still in short supply: a friend reports waiting in line for 2-1/2 hours today to get one bag of ice that cost nearly $10 US.
According to Belize's Channel 7 News, there are 180 people in shelters in Corozal Town, and 90 people in one small shelter in the village of Chan Chen. While government aid has so far failed to materialize, the Red Cross delivered blankets, empty food pots and empty water containers to the Chan Chen shelter. Unfortunately, there is no food or water to fill them. Anita Zetina, Chair of the Belize national emergency management organization (NEMO) Relief & Supplies Committee, told Channel 7 that NEMO has the food and supplies people need ... but I suppose it's just a question of whether any of it will be delivered to the homeless hurricane victims, and, if so, when. Meanwhile, NEMO is asking for cash donations. If you wish, you may contribute to their "Hurricane Dean relief fund account" at the Belize Bank, account number is 695-1-1-69733.
I've also had my first report from Chetumal. Roger Duke, whose home is on Chetumal Bay, writes that he feels blessed to be alive, but that Chet looks like a bomb hit it. Rumor has it that thousands are homeless in and around Chetumal. Also, he heard that the enormous concrete pier built at Majahual to allow cruise ships to dock has split into pieces. I've asked Roger to send some pictures from Chetumal, but right now he's busy chainsawing the uprooted remains of his 2 giant avocado trees.
This Reuters photo shows post-Dean street flooding in the lagoon-side community of Bacalar, Mexico, just NW of Chetumal.
As always, feel free to email me with new info or questions: margaret (at) localgringos (dot) com.
--Margaret (a.k.a. MaggieBelize)
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