by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Feb. 10, 2025

Countries within the Caribbean went into tsunami watch on Saturday, February 8, after feeling the effects of an aftershock of an earthquake north of Honduras and southwest of the Cayman Islands that took place at 11:23 p.m. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake was registered as having a 7.6 magnitude. Its epicenter was about 20 miles (32.1km) north of Honduras and 130 miles (209.2km) southwest of the Cayman Islands.

In response to the earthquake, coastal residents in several islands and countries were advised to relocate inland for a possible tsunami by the US Tsunami Warning System.

Belizeans had mixed reactions to the earthquake, some mentioning to Amandala that they were feeling tremors sometime before 5:30 p.m., local time, while others said they felt nothing and were unaware that an earthquake had happened.

Like our Caribbean neighbors, a tsunami watch was issued for Belize by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), but several hours later an ALL CLEAR was issued. Nonetheless, NEMO advised Belizeans to stay vigilant and have an evacuation plan immediately.