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- Updates from the Islands -- - Belize - - |
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October 2, 2000 12:30EDT - Relief Efforts
On-line donations for Ambergris Caye are accepted at http://AmbergrisCaye.com/towncouncil/keith.html. Also, Jeff Gram (Jeff@aprivateisland.com) has initiated the San Pedro Cleanup. Contact him for info on how to donate. And of course, the Red Cross always needs more money for their relief effort.
| - Re: Keith - 2 months later |
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The following is excerpted from a couple articles in the San Pedro Sun, sanpedrosun.net, and Dan and Eileen Amison. This report is from very early on, all electrics and water fully restored, a couple resorts waiting til Dec. 1, nearly all fully open now. Now all tours running, fishing fine, diving great, action was above the waterline with keith, no damage to reefs.... Nearly all ground damage besides roofs to back side of island, tourist oriented east shore much less problems...
Never Fear - We're Still Here and We'll Be Ready for Tourist
Season!!! is the message the people of Ambergris Caye want
the world to know. This tropical paradise is located about 36
miles off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea or
17.92N/87.95W on the map. In another part of the world during
the last week of September, a tropical depression was forming
off the coast of Central America and nobody even remotely
expected what affect it would have on this tiny island.
After it was named, Tropical Storm Keith was expected to
travel north through the Caribbean Sea, somewhat affecting the
Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, before heading into the Gulf of
Mexico. As it reached warmer waters on Friday, Keith developed
very quickly, literally before everyone's eyes.
On Friday, September 29th, the weather was typical in San
Pedro, tropically delightful. Although the circumstances were
stated to be "not favorable for development" as reported by an
evening call to the National Hurricane Center in Miami,
Florida, Area Representative Patty Arceo called a 5 a.m.
meeting for the next morning with San Pedro's Mayor Alberto
Nuñez and National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO)
Operations Officer, Jim Janmohamed. In the meantime,
conditions of the storm progressed at an alarming rate. Its
winds had reached 74 miles per hour; making it a hurricane.
Following a phone call with Central Government and an 8 a.m.
meeting with San Pedro Town Council it was decided to skip the
Phase I/Preliminary Alert, and go directly to Phase II/ Red 1,
signaling a hurricane watch. This meant that hurricane
conditions were possible in the next 36 hours. The community
was alerted that the San Pedro Roman Catholic School would be
their hurricane shelter and it would be opened at 3 p.m.
At this point, Saturday, September 30th, a 9 a.m. meeting
of the San Pedro NEMO Committee was called and by 10 a.m.
Phase III/Red II hurricane warning flags were flying. Keith's
winds were already 80mph and it was likely to strike within 24
hours. The National Weather Service in Miami made this report
in the afternoon, "The eye of Hurricane Keith was located near
latitude 18.0 north/longitude 86.8 west," or about 90 miles
east of San Pedro. Little movement had been reported and all
the officials expected a north/northwest drift on Sunday.
Around 3 p.m. the Government Press Office informed that
reports from the reconnaissance aircraft indicated that
maximum sustained winds had increased to 100mph with 970
millibars of pressure; Keith was now a Class 2 hurricane
within 75 miles of the island. Hurricane warnings were
extended along the coast of Belize from Corozal south to
Monkey River. People in low-lying areas were warned that storm
surges could be 4-5 feet.
No mandatory evacuation was called because of the hasty
turn of events with the weather, but tourists were urged to
leave the island. Boats were cautioned not to sail for the
seas were too rough and planes had to cease flying by 2 p.m.
Late in the afternoon a curfew was declared for 8 p.m. for
safety reasons and liquor sales were ordered ceased by the
government. To be more beneficial to the people of the islands
in such peril, S.P. NEMO made a decision to station Area
Representative Patty Arceo as Operations Officer on
neighboring Caye Caulker because of her familiarity with the
area and its people. Mr. Janmohamed remained on Ambergris Caye
in constant communication with the Area Representative, and
working together, they efficiently coordinated all emergency
efforts. All NEMO committee members were assigned individual
tasks and each of them, to this day, continue to carry them
out tirelessly, unwavering in their commitment to serve the
people of La Isla Bonita.
By 6 p.m. Saturday afternoon, we were informed that the
center had moved to 87.0 degrees west or about 60 miles from
San Pedro. Winds were at 105 mph and waves were expected to
reach 10 feet. With slight change in its coordinates, Keith
became a Category 3 hurricane at approximately 9 p.m. that
evening when 115 mph winds were recorded. Midnight found the
hurricane at 18.1N/87.4W 40 miles east/northeast of San Pedro
with 120 mph winds. Because of its slow movement, the greatest
threat was from heavy rainfall and flooding which proved to be
true on Sunday. By 3 o'clock Sunday morning, Keith had reached
Class 4 hurricane status with 135mph winds. At 6 a.m., it was
nearly on top of the island within 35 miles, 18.2N/87.5W and
San Pedro was experiencing surface winds of 55 - 73mph. It was
further reported that by noon the same day, Ambergris Caye and
Caye Caulker were experiencing hurricane force winds with
extended gusts of 120mph. At 1:45 p.m., Prime Minister of
Belize, Hon. Said Musa addressed his people over the radio,
assuring them that "operational committees and personnel are
fully activated and on a high state of alert and preparedness
to respond to Hurricane Keith." PM Musa ended his message by
saying, "At this time our hearts and prayers are especially
with the people in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker and
CorozalÖwe shall weather this storm as a united people."
Suffice it to say, Keith did not go away for a very long
time and it kept circling the island, up and down the east
coast and coming around to the west as well, battering it from
all sides. Likened to Hurricane Gilbert, this horrid,
stationary mass of sinister weather traveled everywhere except
where predicted. North, northwest, west, southwest, east,
southeast; it seemed to never leave Ambergris Caye for very
long that weekend. For the most part, Keith "wobbled and
drifted" due east of San Pedro for quite a time before
traveling south, at which point the eye was actually touching
Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker at the same time. After that,
it cut across the southern tip of Ambergris Caye before
heading in its west-northwest trek to Mexico. Unlike the
damage from Hurricane Mitch, Keith took its toll on the
western, leeward side of the island. The people in smaller
houses along the lagoon suffered the most, already in a low
lying area. Boat owners who tied their precious cargo to the
mangroves or stored them in dry dock, thinking it was safe
harbor, were sorely disappointed when the brute force of Keith
came "around to the back." Winds were enough to tear roofs off
of strong buildings and make 30 foot boats fly like airplanes,
(ironically, one ended up on the airstrip). Water rose in
excess of five feet, depositing a multitude of debris
everywhere imaginable. The houses that were totally lost
numbered 51 in all, with countless others suffering minimal to
extensive damage. Preliminary reports estimate roughly US$200
million worth of damage to the country of Belize. Although it
was a Category 4 hurricane, the damage was not as devastating
as it could have been, and was mainly contained to roofs,
structures, property and landscaping. Caye Caulker has a
similar amount of damage and challenges to its island. Yet, at
the time of this writing, four days later, the wonderful
results of the cleanup and repair are astounding in both
places.
Monday morning brought a calm to the island as people
peeked out of their houses and tip-toed cautiously through the
streets careening their heads back and forth, amazed at how
much and how many had survived. The eastern beachfront of the
island, where most of the resorts and businesses are located,
fared the best. Most of the docks are intact and just the
beaches needed cleaned from roof debris, sea grass and some
falling palms. Tears of joy and pain intermingled in the
embraces between friends greeting friends, family reuniting
with family. It was like Hugfest 2000 in the streets. Only the
news that the hurricane might possibly return, sent the people
back to their homes, providing they had one. Most of the
injuries appeared to be cuts, abrasions and puncture wounds. A
truly small amount of human casualties have been confirmed
(two so far), with a few more missing, yet even one life taken
is sadly missed.
The holiday season is upon us and the start of a new tourist season. With that in mind, here is an update on the status of businesses damaged during Hurricane Keith or unable to open at first. These businesses were first
reported in the issue following the hurricane.
Some businesses opened with partial services at first and then continued to rebuild or repair until now; some are still repairing. A few delayed opening until the season was closer to starting. Many of the resorts repo
rted little or no cancellations from visitors due to the storm, adding most only rescheduled their dates to visit. Several businesses commented on their surprise at the number of "hardy" tourists who never cancelled and w
ere "real sports" about the conditions (lack of electricity, phone, few restaurants open, etc.). Consistently, tourists commented on how remarkably fast the island was cleaned up and utilities restored.
In a interview with Belize Electricity Limited it was learned that electricity has been restored to all parts of the island except the San Pedrito area which suffered extensive damage. This is expected to be finished
in the next two weeks. The status of telephone service appears to be the same, with the aid of many fixed or regular cellular phone lines. Anyone having trouble reaching a particular number should inquire whether a new nu
mber has been issued by contacting directory assistance at 113. One of the most anticipated utilities, Coral Cable Vision, is making its way to the south end of the island, having reached this office on Coconut Drive just
last week.
All in all, San Pedro is doing it again - fortunately,
what they do best - coming together in a crisis and
proving to the world that you can't keep a good island
down!
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| - Re: Caye Caulker |
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I just received a cell phone call from my daughter, Annie Seashore, from Caye Caulker. There was a lot of static, but I did learn they are OK with only a little damage to one of their three buildings. 85 people are sleeping in the school. She has taken into her home one of the homeless families. Helicopters have delivered food and supplies. They lost one boat and the rest are damaged but repairable. Their pier is still standing. It sounds as if it was better on the front of the island. She said they did not expect such a severe storm (125 mile per hour winds), and many people were not prepared. (How can you prepare for a wind like that????) Hope other dfamilies are getting news from the island. Beverly Seashore Sun City West, Arizona |
| - Report #2, Keith |
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We are now in the aftermath of Hurricane Keith, and the reports of the situation are coming over the radio in a constant stream. The reports are that we are doing fine. San Pedro was, apparently, the worst hit, but so far the only reports I have heard have been of damage to property, no loss of life. The same is true for Caye Caulker, the other major tourist island. The major coastal communities are Corozal, Belize City, Dangriga and Punta Gorda. Regular classes resume tomorrow in Corozal and Punta Gorda. Dangriga never reported very much bad weather so I'm assuming they are doing fine as well. I spoke with my friend in Belize City this morning. They have been without electricity for three days and the streets are a general disaster area, but there too, the only deaths she knew about were a dog and a cat! I have not yet heard of any human casualties over the radio. This morning, in Belize City, most people were just sweeping water out of their homes, and resigned to the fact that a big storm hit but life does go on. Inland some major highways have areas of flooding, and of course the smaller roads to smaller communities have lots of flooding, but the rain has pretty much stopped and we don't anticipate the flooding or such things as landslides to be a major problem. We drove into town to see the river between San Ignacio and Santa Elena this morning and it is brown and swollen and very high, but few homes or businesses will have been affected. The local produce market will be out of business until the water goes down, but the vendors always find somewhere else to sell their produce in such situations. I have heard a general local request for contributions of food and clothing for those who have lost their homes, but I have not heard any need for international help at all. We've just got a mess to clean up. A few people will need somewhere else to stay until they can rebuild what were likely just small wooden houses with zinc roofs anyway. The businesses are reopening all over the country, as are schools and government offices. Hurricane Keith has been an inconvenience for most people, and a large handful of families will have to rebuild from scratch, but the community is responding well and taking care of each other. A local bakery made more bread than it could sell (over 1000 loaves - which is a tall order for a community our size) and contributed it to the victims of the hurricane. A Chinese restaurant in Belize City just kept frying chicken for residents of its neighbourhood to make sure everyone had something to eat. (I have to say, that particular bit of information came as a surprise to me - the Chinese community is not well-liked in Belize and the fact that they would ignore the prejudices and just make sure everybody they could feed was being fed during the crisis impressed me considerably.) From a tourism point of view - if it is the barrier reef that interests you most, it will have been adversely affected by the storm. Two years ago after heavy winds from Hurricane Mitch the barrier reef was covered with sediment. If horseback riding through the jungle, climbing Mayan ruins, canoeing down scenic rivers and getting a feel for the culture are what interest you - don't change your travel plans. I received a report from Maya Mountain Lodge this morning, one of the better tourist resorts in our area, and they were completely unaffected by the storm. The inland tourist areas will be ready for business this winter. If you are wondering why there was such devastation with Mitch and so little with Keith, it is really very simple. The Honduran government didn't give people enough warning with Mitch because everyone expected it to hit us. Also, for some reason with Mitch people did not want to leave their belongings behind and so everything - refrigerators, televisions and human beings - got swept away by the flooding rivers. Population is another factor - with only 200,000 people in the whole country of Belize, it was relatively simple for evacuations from affected areas to take place. A local bus company provided free transportation for anyone in Belize City that wanted to take refuge inland. The local airlines did the same for people wanting to leave the islands, if I am not mistaken. We're smaller and we weren't too attached to our appliances to recognize that our lives are more important! If anyone wants more information than this, feel free to write to me and I will answer what I can. Sylvia in Belize |
| - Re: Caye Caulker |
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Thank you for your reply. I talked to the task force in the State Department this morning, and they said there are no reports of fatalities. My son in law up in St. Paul has been cruising the internet and tells me that the sun is shining over Caye Caulker and several big boats have been able to get out there with food and water. It has been a tough couple of days, but much tougher for our families on those islands. No reports of the extent of damages has come through. Beverly Seashore azbev AT aol.com Phoenix, Az. |
| - State Department Phone Number for inquiries regarding Keith |
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Individuals seeking information about family members, who are United States citizens, effected by Hurricane Keith should contact the US Department of State Overseas Citizen's Service at 1-202-647-5225. This is the standard procedure for U.S. citizens during international disasters. The above phone number is public and may be given to American Red Cross chapters and/or individual inquirers. In addition, the State Department has established a Hurricane Keith Task Force which may be reached at 1-202-647-0900. This Task Force provides general information about Hurricane Keith. Damayra Perez 9American Red Cross Tracing Associate - Americas, Europe, Middle East International Social Services perezD AT usa.redcross.org |
| - Hurricane Keith |
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Hi everybody in Internetland, It has taken me a couple of days to be able to send this to you because our internet service has not been great, even before Keith. By some miracle I managed to get through a few minutes ago so there is hope that this one will go through too. First of all DON'T freak out at the look of the satellites. It is NOT as bad as it looks. Somebody please tell CNN that - some CNN correspondent talked about the devastation they assumed was happening in Belize, and we are REALLY afraid that will hurt the tourist business. Belize is not being devastated by this hurricane. There have been no reports of loss of life on the radio, and even one of the islands has been checking in periodically to say "we're all fine". San Pedro, the one you will likely have heard about in the weather reports, has not been heard from very much, at least not the people in hurricane shelters. Some of the resorts have checked in with "everybody's just fine". I have heard of one house collapsing on San Pedro - but please remember that the quality of houses in Belize is not the same as in the U.S.. There have been reports in Belize City of downed electricity poles, some roofs flying off of houses, but I talked to a friend in Belize City on the telephone yesterday afternoon and she said that the general feeling is one of calm and just waiting out the storm. I made it clear to my friend that she and her husband and some other friends were welcome to stay in our home (we are up on a hill in a mountainous area), but no one has come. Of course, we are getting flooding, but so far the flooding has been no worse than it gets in a heavy rainy season without a hurricane. I can't speak for on the islands because they aren't communicating with us much, but inland the same places that always flood are getting flooded, and places that don't usually are not yet flooded. I'll leave it at that for now, but I want everyone to know that this hurricane, at least in Belize, is nowhere near on a scale of Hurricane Mitch. We are not done with it yet but so far we have just been bored from having to stay inside out of the rain, and every community that has checked into the radio station has said they are fine - one community lacks a hurricane shelter but they are so far inland I don't think they will be in much danger. Sylvia in San Ignacio |
| - hurricanes |
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Hello,
Our names
are Wendy and Darren Casson. We are on Caye Caulker, Belize. We are getting hit
quite bad right now by Keith. Most buildings on Caulker are quite high off the
ground so it will be interesting to see what happens by tomorrow evening. Keith
has been quite mild up to about 2 hours ago. The "experts" have been predicting
that Keith will head nnw but he keeps drifting west along the 18th parallel
directly at us. No evacuation has been called but a hurricane warning has been
issued since this early this afternoon. Rain hasn't been substantial up until
this point. We expect this to get a lot worse before morning. Hurricanes in the
dark....yeech. We still have power in most places and phone is alive and well at
this point. The winds are gusting to 105 miles per hour and really rocking the
house. We are hoping the predictions are correct and Keith will turn north and
start to move a little faster away from us. We are ending this so we can send it
(while we can).
Darren & Wendy
Casson
(on our
honeymoon)
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