UNITEDVILLE, Cayo District, Thurs. Feb. 8, 2018– Rains in the hills led to a flash flood that impacted the residents of the lower areas of the Cayo District today. The flash flood entered homes, flooded farms, and inundated the Iguana Creek Bridge near Unitedville/ Blackman Eddy, causing traffic delays.

In an interview with Plus TV, a Unitedville resident said that he saw the river (Belize River) rising from about 10:00 this morning, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. He said the river continued to rise, and by 1:00 in the afternoon the water covered the Iguana Creek Bridge, making it impassable.

However, at about 2:00 this afternoon, the river began to recede, and by 3:00 the bridge was again passable.

One resident of Unitedville said that he saw the water rising during the night. Another resident estimates that her family lost about $1,000 worth of coconut products when their house became flooded. The flood victim said that she has been living in the village for almost 33 years, and this is the first time she has seen the river rise to such a high level.

The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) issued a warning at 6:40 this evening that the river at Iguana Bridge is rising again, and urged members of the public, particularly drivers, to be very careful when approaching the area.

NEMO also urged the residents living along the river to be on the alert throughout the night. There were no reports of injuries during the flash flood this afternoon.