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Ernesto spares Belize, but drenches Mexico

HeadlineErnesto spares Belize, but drenches Mexico

Security forces shut down Princess casinos at the Belize-Mexico border. DEMO Corozal Coordinator, Willard Levy, said they refused to comply with directive to close

 

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 8, 2012

While the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) of Belize declared an “all clear” for the entire country of Belize at 9:30 Wednesday morning, what was last night Hurricane Ernesto has been dumping heavy rains over parts of Mexico, as it moves toward the Gulf of Mexico, where, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, it could retain tropical storm strength well into Thursday.

Belize was spared the brunt of the storm, which made landfall shortly after 9:00 last night in Mexico, in a sparsely-populated low-lying jungle near Mahahual.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported at 9:15 last night that the Belize Doppler radar had indicated that Ernesto had just made landfall on the Southern Yucatan Coast near Mahahual, as a category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. Ernesto continued to track west at 15 miles per hour.

Nearest to the point of Ernesto’s impact is the district of Corozal, which reported only minor impacts from the hurricane. Willard Levy, Coordinator of the District Emergency Management Organization (DEMO), told Amandala after 9:00 this morning, 12 hours after the storm’s landing, that the rains, though not very heavy, hadn’t ceased and they were experiencing chilly winds of no more than 5 to 10 miles per hour.

Levy told us that to date, there are no reports of property losses, but a quick evaluation this morning indicated some sugar cane losses in areas such as Patchakan and Xaibe due to minor flooding and the wind.

The DEMO Corozal coordinator told us that some establishments have already resumed business. They were ordered to close by 1:00 yesterday afternoon, in order to permit workers to secure their families in the event that Ernesto would have been steered more into Belizean territory. Levy said that virtually all establishments complied with the directive, but by 3:00 p.m., the Princess casinos, Princess and Golden Princess, were still insisting on staying open, so the security forces had to close them down. The casinos and other businesses will be opening again today, he indicated.

Due to Ernesto’s impacts in their country, Mexican shoppers, who are the main customer base for the Commercial Free Zone at the Belize-Mexico border, are not expected to visit the area today, and Levy said that the management of the Zone has decided to use the opportunity to undertake cleanup efforts. Free Zone businesses, said Levy, are expected to resume business as usual on Thursday.

Elodio Aragon, the DEMO official in Orange Walk, told Amandala that his district was largely spared. The rains have stopped and shelter occupants—about 60 from places such as Trinidad, Louisiana and San Pablo—would be sent home shortly, Aragon indicated. He said that they intend to do a flood assessment later on today, although they do not expect to find anything significant. There are also no reports of cane losses in Orange Walk so far, Aragon said, adding that he does not expect anything significant there either, since the rain and wind impacts from Ernesto were minimal.

Aragon also told us that businesses are reopening and things should be back to normal in the district around 10:00 a.m., with the “all clear” expected to be declared by that time.

The southern part of Belize, from north of Belize City to Toledo, was given an “all clear” at 6:00 a.m.

In a statement issued this morning, the Office of the Prime Minister said it is grateful “Belize was spared from any notable damage as a result of Hurricane Ernesto.”

It went on to congratulate the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), the District Emergency Management Organizations (DEMOs), the City Emergency Management Organization (CEMO), the security forces, the Ministry of Health, Red Cross, public officers, the Chief Meteorologist, and the media – all those who were involved in preparing the citizenry for the hurricane.

“Once again, the National Emergency Management Organization demonstrated the highest level of organization, coordination and planning to keep our citizens informed and safe,” said the statement. “We thank [them] and applaud their efforts.”

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