The rains seem to have gone for now. The clearing began this morning.
Breezes are gentle and everything is very soggy.
There is standing water in some areas on Ambergris Caye as photos below
illustrate. Reports on rainfall vary by area, but we seem to have had over a
foot in this neighborhood. The water taxis from the mainland ceased
operations for a day, airlines were having a challenging time.
Belize City flooded worst of all. Some areas chest high in water, others not
flooded at all. Waters are draining off fairly quickly now. Lots of property
loss, but no loss of life. Schools were closed yesterday. Most re-opened
today. I understand that a transformer was blown in the Tres Cocos area during
the Sunday night electrical storm. Some trees and larger ornamental plants
tipped over due to hyper saturated ground. Buildings that "never leak",
leaked.
The Mexican state of Quintana Roo declared at state of emergency on Sunday.
Guatemala lost a bridge or two. I understand that northern Honduras and
Nicaragua were also affected and there my have been loss of life there.
Rivers in the Cayo District are rising to flood stage now but most residents
are capable of working with those circumstances.
We have General Elections in about two weeks and this emergency could be quite
an opportunity for some political grandstanding ..... but to the credit of our
good people there is little or none of that going on.
On a somewhat lighter note, a 9-foot saltwater crocodile took refuge from the
storm inside the grounds of a hospital in Belize City. A group of wild and
crazy guys tried to net it ( failed) and eventually roped it(successfully).
They duct-taped his jaws shut and handed him over to officials who thence
transported it to a crocodile education center. Note to self: Never, ever
run out of duct tape!
A very wet back yard .....
This is a pedestrian lane leading from a residential road down to the beach.
Now you don't have to carry your kayak. Just hop in and paddle to the sea.
Sent from my iPad
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